FISH CUTLET - with canned sardines

2 cutlets, with a splash of sauce and a spoon of onion-tomato salad. That was my favorite item during weddings in Kerala. In my house, cutlets were always appetizers, dipped in sauce and eaten with onion-tomato salad on the side. Post-marriage, cutlets were a side dish to rice. My MIL, being a working mom, made lots of cutlets and stored them in the freezer. She would take them out directly from the freezer for dinner and fry them. Thawing was not at all necessary. She was well known for her cutlets. She used to make beef and chicken cutlets, but after her grandkids came along, she started experimenting more. She would pressure cook sardines with pepper and salt, mince them in the mixie with the fish bones, and make sardine cutlets with lots of veggies. Whole fresh sardines are not readily available here in Seattle, so I subbed canned sardines. If it's just fish cutlets, then subbing the fish instead of chicken in this cutlet recipe would be fine. But I have used canned sardines in olive oil. When you open the cans, the smell is not very appetizing, though. This recipe uses the oil already in the can. So here goes...


INGREDIENTS - makes appr.40 small cutlets

1. 3 cans of sardines , canned in olive oil
2. 2 large potatoes(about 300 gms.)
3. 1/2 cup onion chopped finely(60 gms.)
4. green chili , chopped as per taste 
5. 5 curry leaves , chopped
6. 6 garlic cloves chopped
7. 1 small piece ginger , finely chopped 
8. 1 tsp pepper powder
9. 3 tsp garam masala
10. 1 tsp coriander powder
11. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
12. 6 cups of finely chopped vegetable(cabbage , cauliflower, carrots, vazha pindi , spinach, beetroot)
13. salt to taste
14. oil for frying   
15. bread crumbs from slices of bread(150 gms.)
16. 2 egg , beaten 

METHOD

Make-Ahead

BREAD CRUMBS

• Put the bread slices and pulse in the mixie , into crumbs.  Transfer to a plate and keep aside.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

COOKING THE POTATOES

• Wash and clean the potatoes. I have used a pressure cooker to cook the potatoes with the skin on.
• Place the potatoes on a separator plate , with water below , in a pressure cooker. Cook on high for 1 whistle. Turn off the stove , after the pressure is gone , turn the cooker on high for 1 more whistle. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the cooker.
  

  

• Always make sure that the potatoes are cooked , by inserting a sharp pointed knife towards the center of the potato. If the knife doesn't go smoothly into the center , cook the potatoes for 1 more whistle. That should be enough. 
• Take out the potatoes , let cool , peel off the skin and mash the potatoes . Add salt as per taste.
• The potatoes are easy to mash when they are warme rather than cold.
  
  

SAUTEING THE VEGETABLES AND THE FISH

• Prep the vegetables, chop the onions , garlic , ginger , chilies , curry leaves. All these can be combined into a bowl. We are going to saute' all of these at once.
  
  
  
  
• Heat a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Open the cans of fish.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• When the pan is hot, add the fish along with the oil. Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves and spice powders and sauté the fish for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and let the fish masala rest for about 10 minutes.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Then turn of the stove on medium-low heat and add in the prepped veggies along.

• Sauté till the vegetables are almost 3/4 cooked. Now turn the heat to medium-high and then add salt and stir for about 2 minutes and turn off the stove. Cover it with a lid. Don't close the lid tightly, or else the vegetables will become mushy.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

• Now it's time to mix the mashed potatoes, sauteed fish and vegetables together. 
• Into the pan with the vegetables, mashed potatoes. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Add more salt as per salt. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Shape the mixture into cutlets and keep it in the same pan. Take a small part of the mixture, make it into a ball, roll it between your palms, flatten it into a disc and shape the edges.
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

SETTING UP THE BREADING STATION

• Beat the eggs until well combined.
• Set up the breading station , by putting the rolled out cutlets , breadcrumbs , beaten egg in an assembly line. Also set aside 2 storage bowls for storing the cutlets.
  

• Dip each cutlet in the beaten egg and place it in the bread-crumbs plate. Continue this until the bread-crumbs plate is full.
• Don't attempt to dip each cutlet in the egg and then roll out in the breadcrumbs, immediately. In doing so, your palms will become coated with breadcrumbs and when you dip the next cutlet in the egg, the beaten egg also will be full of breadcrumbs. (My dad's tip)
  
  
  
  
  

• Now using your fingers, roll each cutlet in the breadcrumbs until it is completely coated with crumbs. Transfer this to a storage bowl.
  
  

• Do the same with the remaining cutlets. 
• Usually there will be a little amount of beaten egg and breadcrumbs left. Combine both and roll it out into a breadcrumb-egg cutlet.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

FRYING THE CUTLETS

• Heat a cheena chatti(wok). When warm add sufficient oil to fry the cutlets. This here is my favorite wok and slotted spoon used for frying. 
• Line a plate with paper towels to drain the fried cutlets.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• When the oil is hot, add in 3 cutlets (mine accommodates only 3). 
  
  
  
  

• Control the temperature as you fry, between high and medium. After about 2 minutes, turn the cutlets over. Fry for about a minute and drain them into the paper lined plate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fry the number of cutlets that's required. 
  
  
  
  
• The ones circled in the center are the ones made with the remaining breadcrumbs and eggs.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Combination: Rice, Fish Cutlet, Rasam and Cabbage Thoren / Beans Carrot Thoren

NOTES

• If the salt is less, add it while frying in the oil.
• I reuse the oil a second time for frying the cutlets.
• Don't fry in very less oil, the cutlets will not maintain its shape and will fall apart causing oil to seep in and making the fried product oily.
• The cutlets can be frozen. There is no need to thaw it before frying. You can put it directly in the oil.