The dish that evokes a bundle of fond memories in me. The dish that holds a special place in my heart, mainly because of the memories associated with them. I'm sure you might also have similar experience if you grew up having this spicy snack. Now coming to think of it, I cant remember a single time when I've had this snack alone, there was always somebody with me to share this. I've had these cutlets mostly from BTH hotel in Ernakulam and I've shared it most of the times with my amma.
BTH was one of our favourite eat outs. I used to go to Amma's office straight from college, wait there impatiently (most of the times) for her to leave. The only thought that made the waiting worthwhile was the promise of these cutlets and coffee from BTH. Both of us had a fixed choice, which remains the same even today. Amma always order Chole Bhatura and I order Veg Cutlets. The funny thing is, the moment our orders are placed before us, our hands will be in each others plate. After we wash down our food with a cup of coffee, we start looking around the place. After observing the people around for sometime, Amma would come up with life stories for every person there. She is very good at it :) Most of the times I silently listen to her stories and try to imagine those people's lives based on her stories. Sometimes I contradict her stories and share my version. Even today we continue this ritual. If we are going to the city , before reaching half way, Amma would ask me “ninakku kappi veno?” (do you want coffee?) That's the cue for our trip to BTH ;)
Fast forward to present days and still I'm sharing a plateful of this wonderful snack with somebody. Sometimes during weekends, we crave for a spicy fried snack. On such days, Jose and myself end up in Swagat Hotel inside the Bahrain Souk. It's a kutti (small) hotel, but it's packed all the time. The whole scene there reminds me of Indian Coffee House. We both try to get a seat in the corner and have the hot cutlets, all the while sharing our nostalgic memories of times when we used to have it with our parents. For Jose, each trip to Sagar Hotel is nostalgic. Growing up in Bahrain, this hotel reminds him of his childhood days, when he used to visit the place with his parents as part of their weekend outing.
So here's to reliving old memories as well as creating new ones for the coming days. I've tried to make this cutlet similar to the ones that we get in restaurants/bakeries in Kerala. You can use this as a base and customise it to suit your taste requirements or shall I say memories :)? You can have this as an evening snack or as a veggie appetizer. One thing I like about the cutlets is that, you can make it in advance and it comes in handy, when you are short of time.
Tried out the cutlets today.Turned out very well.Thank you.
Hi Maria,
Tried these cutlets last weekend for my husband’s labmates. All of them appreciated it. The cutlets were so yummy that it got over in just a few minutes! I am so glad that it turned out well since it was my first attempt on cutlets. Thank you Maria for sharing this recipe.
Cheers,
Anisha.
Hi Anisha,
Glad that the cutlets came out well for you… Thanks a lot for the feedback, appreciate it :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi maria
Tku for yet another yummy one …….your write up gav me all the nostalgic memories of BTH & the yummy veg food……those were the days wen a simple cutlet & coffee was a great one for us………unlike the kids now who hav a variety of options like KFC MC DONALDS or Dominoz…..?……lov ur recipies….tku once again
Hi Bindu,
You are welcome :) Happy to know that the post brought you good memories.
Cheers
Maria
Can we use cornflour instead of maida to coat the cutlets n freeze them
Hi Kezia,
I guess you can do that :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria — Do you use equal quantities of each of the veggies? And what kind of beans do you use? Thanks!
Hi Lucy,
Honestly, I dont have a particular measurement or proportion for the qty of veggies, it depends on what and how much I’ve with me :)
I use the regular beans..
Hope you get to try out the recipe soon and like it too..
Cheers
Maria
Hai Maria Jose. Do u have any idea of how to pack these cutlets and sell in market in a best way
Hi Akilan,
Since, I’m a home cook, I’m not very sure about the process for commercial cooking and selling. May be you can sell this to some local bakery, I’ve seen many bakeries in Kerala have a separate section for home made items.
Cheers
Maria
hi,
Whenever i make cutlets it turns out uncooked from inside,can u pls help.
Hi Maria,
It happens when the oil becomes too hot. In that case, the outer portion gets browned faster leaving the inside uncooked. When you heat the oil, heat it on low-medium flame, it should get really hot, but not smoking hot. You can try adding a pinch of bread crumbs to the oil to see if it’s ready. if the crumbs sizzle right away, the oil is hot enough. Once the oil is hot to fry, may be you can reduce the flame a bit.
Hope this helps..
Cheers
Maria
I made them and they taste yummy…but,since i didn’t add beetroot i didn’t get the color :(. Do you think i can addd food color? BTW, i love your blog and i cant wait to try all of your recipes and give it to my guinea “husband”. hehe!
Hi Nancy,
Thank you :)
hhmm, I’m not a big fan of food colour, so i rarely use it in my cooking. But I guess you can use it if you like.
I do hope your husband will enjoy being a guinea ;)
happy cooking!
Cheers
Maria
Great site. My wife made cutlets for lunch using your recipe.
Thank you :)
hi maria,
I am back to mariasmenu after a break!! Wishing you a very happy and prosperous new year!
on dec 31st,I tried to make vegetable cutlet.My plan was to surprise my friends for the new-year party. But something went wrong and the mix was bit watery and so couldn’t shape it properly. I think I overcooked potato or steaming of vegetables added some water. I tried adding 3-4 bread pieces ….still its not working. now the mix is in my freezer waiting for a complete ‘makeover’ only after getting ur expert advice. hope you will reply soon.
By the way, u r doing very well and I tried some your recipes and all of them turned out well. Thank you soooo much.
Hi Sandhya,
Thank you so much for your wishes and wish you too a great year ahead!
Sorry to hear that veg cutlets didnt work out.. was the veegie mix watery before or after adding potato? If the veggie mix was watery before adding potato, continue cooking it for some more time till the water dries completely.
Also when you mash the potato dont mash it into a paste form, it’s ok to have small lumps here n there.
Hope you can work with it somehow..
Cheers
Maria
Nice cutlets! you know what i have tried cutlets in a different way.. best for kids.. do visit my place when time permits Vegetable Cutlets Love to have your feedback!
*Happy Blogging*
Hi Maria,
I was introduced to your blog by a friend and I have been a fan ever since. For any recipes, I first check your blog to see if you have it here.
I tried the cutlets today as I am a big fan of Indian Coffee House cutlets. It did come out well and tasted awesome, but I had to struggle a bit. I think the first mistake was that I mashed the potato in the processor, so it was kind of sticky. The mixture was too loose and difficult to mould into shapes. Then I powdered some bread and added it to the mixture, which helped. The next problem was the batter, since it was semi-thick, it stuck on to the mixture and after rolling a few of them, the bread crumbs powder became soggy.
But finally I managed it and thanks to you for the wonderful recipe. I have frozen a few as well.
Hi Aishwarya,
Thank you so much for your comment. I’m glad that you ended up with a good results, even though you had some hiccups in between :)
As you rightly said mashing potatoes in processor doesnt work well here. Potatoes should not be too smooth and soft for this recipe. Also when you make the batter, it should be thick enough to coat the cutlets, but not too thick. When you dip the shaped cutlets in the batter, the batter should stick on to the cutlet and not dripping away.
Next time when you make the batter, do a trial run with one cutlet and adjust the consistency of the batter accordingly :)
Thanks again for sharing your feedback here. Btw, please do say my thanks to your friend as well for recommending MM.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria
Am a regular visitor of ur blog and trust me all the recipes are awesome!!
Am a college student (obviously unmarried!!) and do cooking only because am in love with it. And i search for recipes from all over internet and that’s how i came across ur site and it was awesome. I’ve tried a no. of recipes from u and every time they’ve turned out great.
Anyways i tried this today and it came out really well!! Thanks a ton!!
<3
Hi Amala,
Great to meet you here! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback here. I’m so happy to know that you like the recipes here.
All the best for your studies and happy cooking!
Cheers
Maria
hi,
can u tell me how many gms is 4 cups of vegetables?
I’m sorry Linu, I just measured it using cups..
I loved the spicy look of ur cutlets……I always end up cracking my cutlets when frying….any tips to avoid that
Thanks Monica :)
The cutlets crack break because of a number of reasons..
if you are making meat/chicken cutlet, if it’s minced very fine, it causes the cutlet to break
if the potato isnt mashed well and has lumps, that can also cause the problem
if the qty of potato is less and the cutlets arent binded well, that’s another reason
then if the heat isnt right temp, that also affects..
Hope these tips helps..
Cheers
Maria
Thanks for the tips…..I tried ur recipe…. It was awesome…..
You are welcome Monica :) I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Maria,
Deep fried cutlets is a first for me.. I have tried different cutlets and i normally shallow fry them.. Have to try these now.
Love your recepies.. Have tried so many of them..
Thank you!!
Thanks Ayswarya :) Nice to know that you’ve tried recipes from here.
I dont cook cutlets on a regular basis, but whenever I make them, I go all out and deep fry them ;)
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria, i want to make these cutlets on my son’s b’day. Did u first cook the veggies and than chopped them or vice versa?
thanks,
Hi Fiona,
I chopped them first and then cooked it. Hope it comes out well for you..
Cheers
Maria
Thanks Maria I made them yesterday and they turned out good :)
You are welcome Fiona :)
Hi mariya…….I am drolling……..it really looks like the one we gets frm resturents……I am shure it wil be very tasty…I am going to make it tmrw….u are very special in giving us yummy recepies which we have frm resturents….thanks a lot for that…
You are welcome dear :) I do hope you like these…
Hi Maria. Thanks for the awesome recipe. Can these cutlets be shallow fried with just a little oil or can these be baked in the oven ? Thanks
Sajjini, you can shallow fry the same. However I prefer deep frying. Please refer the notes section of the recipe for the details.
Cheers
Maria
Hey Maria madam…. ur cutlet looks soooooooooooo tempting……. i need one now with a hot cup of chai…… :) and it’s already raining outside ;)
Thanks dear :) Feel free to grab one from the pic ;)
BTH cutlets were truly a class apart.I say ‘were’ coz they have lost their charm now,BTH isn’t the same ol’ place anymore:(.I love cutlets and kaapi too and it’s been ages since I made it.Your outing reminds me of my outing with my amma to Dwaraka.Oh I miss Cochin:((
Divs, I think we go to BTH mainly because of the familiarity aspect :) Btw, I’ve never been to Dwaraka, may be during my next trip…