Chicken Croquettes ( Bengali Style Chicken Chop )

For long time I had a dream to spend a weekend in an ocean side resort and enjoy with my family. Finally my husband gave me a surprise on president’s day long weekend and we went to a resort in a place called Palos Verdes near Los Angeles. After spending those pampering days, when we came back on Monday and we had a get together with some family friends at our residence. This time I cooked some new stuffs and taken photographs but there were no time to write the recipe and share with you. 

 

Starting this week I am slowly coming back to my old routine and hope would be able to maintain the pace. Today I am going to share a yummy snack, a popular street food of Calcutta and eastern part of India. If you visit the city, you would find hundreds of road-side vendors are selling this kind of snack. The formal name of this dish is Chicken Croquettes, commonly known as Chicken chop or chicken cutlet. The word Croquette has come from the French word "Croquer" that means to crunch.

Croquette is a small deep fried food that usually contains mashed potatoes or ground meet (goat, beef, chicken or turkey), fish, cheese or vegetables as filling. The Croquette is usually shaped like a cylinder, disk or oval shape.First dip the filling in egg wash, roll in bread crumbs and finally deep fry in hot oil. If you want to avoid deep-frying, you can bake them too at oven. The Bengali version can be of different types, both veg and non-veg. Potatoes, mixed vegetables, banana flowers are very commonly used as a filling when it is vegetarian. On the other hand fish (macher chop), minced mutton (mansher Chop) are very popular as non-vegetarian croquettes. Whether it’s veg or non-veg, each variety of croquettes has a distinctive taste and texture. Once they are cooked, become quite crispy on the outside but remains soft inside, very tempting as an appetizer or a party snack. Generally it is served with tomato ketchup or with your choice of dip and with onion rings and some salads. 

Recipe of Chicken Croquettes ( Bengali Style Chicken Chop ) : for 10 pieces 

Ingredients : 

Boneless Chicken breast : 1 lb / 500 g ( boiled and shredded )

Onion : a big one, finely chopped 

Ginger paste : 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste : 1 tablespoon

Tomato : a small one chopped 

Green chilies : as per tolerance (if you want to avoid green chilies, you can use black pepper powder or red chili powder.)

Coriander powder : 1 teaspoon 

Potato : 1 medium sized, boiled 

Green Cardamom : 2 

Cinnamon stick : 1 inch

Cloves : 2 

Salt : 

Egg : 1

Breadcrumbs : 1 cup 

Oil : for deep frying 

Method :

1. Take a big pan, heat it up and add 2-3 tablespoon oil. Once oil is hot, add cardamoms, cinnamon stick, cloves to it. Once they are fragrant, discard them from oil.

2. Add the chopped onion to the pan, saute it till it changes the color to light brown, add ginger and garlic. Stir it, cook until the raw smell goes off. Add the chopped tomato to the pan, sprinkle some salt. Cook it till the tomato becomes soft and smashed. 

3. Add coriander powder and green chilies. Stir it and mix it, till oil starts separating from the sides of the pan.

4. Add the boiled and shredded chicken. Mix it nicely with the spices and keep stirring for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the potato, smashed it with a spatula and mix well with chicken-spice mixture. 

5. Give some stirs, until the mixture is well combined. Check the seasoning, add salt or chilies if needed. Turn off the gas, now filling is ready. 

6. Divide the mixture into 10 equal balls, give them shape like a cylinder, disk or oval. 

7. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 2 tablespoon of water and on an another flat dish, spread the breadcrumbs. 

8. Take a ball first dip into the egg mixture, then roll it on the breadcrumbs until it gets a nice coat all over it. Do the same process for the rest of the balls. 

9. Now take a deep frying pan, add oil and heat it up. Once oil is ready, deep fry the balls in two batches on medium-high heat until they are evenly golden brown on both sides. 

10. Take out them from oil and place it on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Chicken Croquettes ( Bengali Style Chicken Chop) are ready to serve. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or with your choice of dip and with onion rings and some salads. 

Note :

 If you want to avoid deep frying, you can bake them too. To bake the Chicken Croquette after 8th step, take a baking sheet, grease it with non stick spray. Place the Chicken balls on it and nicely spray with non stick spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C, bake them until they are evenly golden brown on both sides. In between check it, turn the other side and again spray lightly with non stick cooking spray. It takes approximately 5 to 7 minutes for each side to be done. To see the baking process in detail you can check this recipe too ( Baked Tuna Cutlet )

The same recipe, you can try with minced goat meat, or beef or lamb. 

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Breaded Patties :

Today I am introducing this wonderful snacks, perfect for rainy, cold weather with a cup of tea. As I was grown-up in a Bengali family, since my childhood I am seeing my mom trying so many items with fish. Whether it is snack, main or side dish. Those yummy names! Fish kachuri, fish cutlet, fish finger, fish fry and so on. But who cares about recipe in the childhood, you enjoy only the food. Time has changed now, whenever I have something that my taste buds appreciate I try to get the recipe. This is the one that I got from one of my friends.

Yes, you could guess correctly! It is the very yummy one, Fish stuffed deep-fried snacks. You can serve it as a starter or appetizer for a party. As the outer side is fried bread, it is very crispy. Kids would love it too but you need to skip the chilies for that. People who are health conscious would avoid the deep-frying part, rather bake it at oven. These days I am loving these baked snacks than the fried one. But once or twice in a month, I enjoy that crunchiness :-) 

 The recipe is extremely versatile. And it works so well with different fillings. So you can make it for vegetarian by using paneer/potato/mixed-vegetables. Or if you want to avoid fish try with chicken. 

Recipe of Fish Patties : (for 6 pieces)

Ingredients :

Bread slices - 6 
Potato (boiled) - 1 medium size 
Boneless white fish fillet - 4-5 pieces 
Onion chopped - 1 big 
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Tomato ( remove the outer skin and chop it ) - 1 medium size 
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped green chilies - as per taste
Whole spices ( cardamom - cinnamon - clove ) 
salt - as per taste
oil for deep frying

Method :

1. Boil or swallow fry the boneless fish fillets. Once they are cooked, keep them aside.

2.  Put Oil in a pan and heat it up. Add whole Spices and when the nice aroma comes out, remove them from the oil.

3.  Add chopped onion and sprinkle salt. This will help the onion to get soft very soon. 

4.  Keep stirring. Once the color of Onion changes to light brown, add ginger and garlic paste.

5.  Cook them for another 4-5 minutes till the raw smell goes off.

6.  Add chopped tomato pieces and give some good stirs until oils are coming up from the side of pan and tomato becomes soft.

7.  Add cumin powder and mix it well and cook for another couple of minutes until oil starts coming up from the sides of pan. Add chopped green chilies and cooked fish fillets. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and mix them nicely.

8.  Add boiled potato. Smash the potato and mix it with the fish mixture nicely. Add salt and check the seasoning. Turn off the gas. 

9. Stuffing is ready. Let it cool down.

10. Take the bread pieces and cut off the brown sides. Make the bread pieces flat by pressing with a rolling pin.

11.  In the middle of the bread, put 1 tbsp stuffing and fold it. First seal the two sides length-wise. Dip your finger in some water and press it. Then press the overlapped area. Use little water while pressing. It is not too hard to seal the three sides but make sure that all the sides are locked.

12.  Put oil on a deep frying pan and fry them one by one at medium heat until they are brown on both sides.Transfer them on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

13.  Serve them with your choice of dipping sauces. 

Note:  If you don't eat fish, may use chicken in the place of fish. Vegetarian people also can try this snacks. Potato or any vegetable stuffing will go nicely with it. 

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!!

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