Saturday, March 20, 2010

Hearty and Healthy Whole Bean Cutlets

In all these years, I can hardly recall having made 'cutlets'. I am referring to the very Indian 'vegetable cutlets', which you would be hard pressed to find much in the mainstream outside India. When I think about it, there are several probable theories to it. The main reason is probably because they usually involve frying, and they invariably involve potatoes. The other is that they were seldom made at home. This was something we ate occasionally as part of a large buffet, at tea time at someone's place or as a snack or appetizer at casual restaurants. So then I suppose I never thought about making them myself either.

However, after I tasted these lightly fried bean cutlets made by Mints, I made them twice in just the last two months. They are full of proteins, do not need much fat, and the best part is that most of the work is done by the pressure cooker and food processor. The type of beans you can use is also flexible - I used whole moong, matki, garbanzo beans, and whole dried peas. If shaped into larger sizes these would be perfect bean burgers too. Just be sure to salt the batter well as most beans have a tendency to absorb quite a bit of salt.

With this post, I am defying two norms of my usual cooking. First is the making of 'cutlets' itself. The other thing is freezing. I hardly ever freeze food but I found that these are really freezer-friendly. I make a large batch, then pop some of the cutlets, without frying, into a freezer bag or box, such that they lay flat in the freezer. Then I saute a few as needed, to add heft to a salad, to increase the protein quotient of a meal, or just to add some zip to leftovers. These can also be baked on a lightly oiled baking sheet, at about 400 degrees for 20 minutes, 10 minutes on each side. There is no need to thaw them out either.

Dal Cutlets

Another good thing about this post is that the recipe posted by Mints is perfect as is, and so it is on its way to the first edition of Blog Bites.

17 comments:

Nupur said...

They look so good! Thanks for a great entry!

Parita said...

Looks delicious!

FewMinute Wonders said...

Thanks for all the extra info you have blogged. Is there a way to follow your blog posts. I don't see any buttons to subscribe to your blog.

Miri said...

I love cutlets and have made practically everything you can think of into cutlets....but never deep fried them - always on a tava or in the oven...these look wonderful!

Mints! said...

Thanks ET. Your look better than mine :)

evolvingtastes said...

Nupur, thanks. Looking forward to the round-up!

Parita, thanks.

Srimathi, you can subscribe by going to the bottom of the page. You can also subscribe by going to Google reader or bloglines. Is that what you were asking? I also know that a few people 'follow' my blog.

Miri, yes, tawa fried is has far as I would go. Most commercial ones I deep-fried though I think.

Mints, arre that's too much. They taste just as good, so I am happy about that. :)

TheCooker said...

Good looking cut-less.
Mints, your looked good and tasted fab. ET's version, we have only seen hint hint :)

evolvingtastes said...

tc, they were same-to-same like Mints', but you are welcome to compare and contrast anytime!

PJ said...

thats sure a healthy and yummy treat!

Unknown said...

the cutlets look wondeful and healthy too Et!

Anonymous said...

I love cutlets and enjoy trying out diff types. This sounds so healthy as well...Loved that they can be baked.

Shilpa said...

Hi gal,

Feels good to be back after so long! :) thanks for visiting me!

I know what you mean about making your own cutlets, have avoided owning a deep-fryer for years to keep temptation at bay! ;-) but also because I know it's hell cleaning up a deep-fryer, ugh!

Shaheen said...

These do look mighty fine. Its been a while since i've had veggie cutlets.

PJ said...

Hi, it was so nice bumping into you today! You can moderate this comment, I couldn't find an email to contact you so thought I'll post a comment instead. Keep in touch!

Archana said...

Hi! I just happened to find your blog accidentally and I am going to visit more often. I do make cutlets but its with vegetables/leftovers and of course potatoes. I liked these for the protein content and will definitely try them out. Thanks.

Archana said...

Hi! I just happened to find your blog accidentally and I am going to visit more often. I do make cutlets but its with vegetables/leftovers and of course potatoes. I liked these for the protein content and will definitely try them out. Thanks.

evolvingtastes said...

Mangocheeks, Archana, thanks for stopping by and welcome to my blog!

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