My maternal grandfather passed away a couple of months before his first wedding anniversary on 7th May. Grandmother was nine months pregnant and she gave birth to my mother on 19th May, 12 days later after his death. It is unfortunate that my mother did not see her father, but she grew into a strong, independent, hardworking and creative woman. She was my first teacher, mentor and inspiration igniting the spark and my interest in cooking. Though I miss her every single day, the month of May is especially memorable with Mother's Day and also, being her birth month. As May comes to an end, thought of sharing the mince cutlets she made for us. They were moist, flavourful, delicious with a hint of spice from the green chillies and perfectly balanced with the sourness from the vinegar.
Choosing the right blend of meat is important to achieve rich, flavourful and moist cutlets. I prefer 80% ground chuck (from the shoulder) with 20% fat, which stays moist with minimal shrinkage. The grind should be coarse instead of fine, which is difficult to work with due to its soft texture. Ingredients included should be finely chopped enabling to shape the cutlets with ease and also, preventing them from falling apart in the frying pan.
What we call cutlet in India is known as patty in North America, Australia and New Zealand. A patty is made with ground meat, usually shaped round and then cooked. In the culinary arts, the term cutlet is referred to a thin cut of meat, which is dredged in flour or breadcrumbs and pan-fried.
Choosing the right blend of meat is important to achieve rich, flavourful and moist cutlets. I prefer 80% ground chuck (from the shoulder) with 20% fat, which stays moist with minimal shrinkage. The grind should be coarse instead of fine, which is difficult to work with due to its soft texture. Ingredients included should be finely chopped enabling to shape the cutlets with ease and also, preventing them from falling apart in the frying pan.
What we call cutlet in India is known as patty in North America, Australia and New Zealand. A patty is made with ground meat, usually shaped round and then cooked. In the culinary arts, the term cutlet is referred to a thin cut of meat, which is dredged in flour or breadcrumbs and pan-fried.
Goan Mince Cutlets
(Yields 18)
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground meat blend (read above)
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1 large onion (minced)
2 green chillies (minced)
4 cloves of garlic (grated)
1/2-inch piece of ginger (grated)
handful coriander leaves (chopped)
1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
2 slices of bread
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup rava or semolina (for coating)
oil for shallow frying
salt
Method:
In a bowl, add the ground meat with the onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger, vinegar, egg, coriander leaves, pepper powder and salt.
Soak slices of bread in milk for a couple of seconds. Squeeze off excess milk and add to the meat mixture.
On medium flame, heat a skillet with oil for shallow frying.
Put semolina in a dish and place the egg-shaped cutter in the semolina. Take a ball of the meat mixture and gently press into the cutter. Slowly lift the cutter up and then sprinkle the top of the cutlet with semolina. Keep the coated cutlet aside.
Repeat the above process with the remaining mixture. Shallow fry cutlets in batches of five or six depending on the size of your skillet until light brown and meat cooked. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Serve hot.
Note:
(Yields 18)
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ground meat blend (read above)
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1 large onion (minced)
2 green chillies (minced)
4 cloves of garlic (grated)
1/2-inch piece of ginger (grated)
handful coriander leaves (chopped)
1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
2 slices of bread
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup rava or semolina (for coating)
oil for shallow frying
salt
Method:
In a bowl, add the ground meat with the onion, green chillies, garlic, ginger, vinegar, egg, coriander leaves, pepper powder and salt.
Soak slices of bread in milk for a couple of seconds. Squeeze off excess milk and add to the meat mixture.
On medium flame, heat a skillet with oil for shallow frying.
Put semolina in a dish and place the egg-shaped cutter in the semolina. Take a ball of the meat mixture and gently press into the cutter. Slowly lift the cutter up and then sprinkle the top of the cutlet with semolina. Keep the coated cutlet aside.
Repeat the above process with the remaining mixture. Shallow fry cutlets in batches of five or six depending on the size of your skillet until light brown and meat cooked. Drain on absorbent paper towels. Serve hot.
Note:
- In case you find the mixture difficult to handle, refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before shaping.
- Cutlets can be shaped ahead and shallow-fried just before serving.
- Use a small spatula to gently lift and transfer shaped cutlets into the pan.
- In case you do not have an egg-shaped cutter (picture above), make flat rounds of meat mixture and fry.
