Mutton Keema Cutlets With Chutney

Ingredients

• Mutton (goat meat) minced- 500gm
• Medium-sized boiled potatoes-2; alternatively you can use 3 tablespoons chana daal pre-soaked for a couple of hours and then drained
• Medium onion, chopped fine- 1
• Green chili, chopped fine- 2 (optional)
• Coriander leaves, chopped fine- 4 tablespoons
• Grated ginger-1.5 teaspoons
• Minced garlic-2 teaspoons
• Coriander powder-1 teaspoon +1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder-1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala- 1teaspoon +1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida (hing)-1 pinch
• Cumin seeds-1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chili powder-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
• Salt-1.5 teaspoons or to taste
• Bread crumbs- 1 cup
• Egg, beaten lightly-2
• Oil-6 tablespoons for shallow frying

Instructions

1. In a deep glass bowl, mix the minced mutton with 1-teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon turmeric and ½ teaspoon red chili powder. Mix well, cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. I let mine sit overnight. Marinating is a great way to get the flavors going even before the actual cooking and also helps kill the smell of red meat which some find impalpable
2. When ready to cook, place a heavy bottomed skillet on high flame, add one-tablespoon oil. Once oil is hot, add cumin seeds, asafetida and reduce the heat to medium as soon as the seeds start to crackle
3. Add grated ginger and minced garlic and stir until fragrant, then add onions and cook until translucent
4. Add minced meat, 1-teaspoon coriander powder and 1-teaspoon garam masala and mix well. Add half-cup water and cover on a medium-high flame. Stir occasionally until the water dries up and the meat is cooked through. At this point the meat starts to look crumbly and dry
5. If using split chickpeas, add it along with the meat while it is cooking. If using potatoes, mash them well and add to the pan once the meat is cooked through and water has dried up. Add salt, mix well and turn off the heat right away. Add chopped coriander leaves, green chili and mix
6. Bring to room temperature and if using split chickpeas, blend in the food processor just enough to grind the chickpeas well. Over-grinding would result in excessive smooth texture cutlets, which we do not want. In this case add chopped coriander and green chili after the grinding process
7. Form the mixture into medium sized balls and flatten between your palms into discs. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to stiffen it up a bit
8. Now, spread the breadcrumbs on a flat surface and place the lightly beaten eggs right next to it. Add 5 tablespoons oil to a non-stick pan on high heat. One by one dip the discs into the beaten eggs, next, coat evenly with breadcrumbs and then shallow fry till both sides have browned well. Serve hot with a side of ketchup or coriander-mint chutney

Notes