Vegetable Chop

A colourful and comforting Bengali favourite made with sweet potato, carrot and beetroot, flavoured with freshly roasted whole spices, ginger and green chilli. The mixture is shaped into chops, coated in breadcrumbs and air-fried until crisp and golden. Served hot with kasundi and tomato ketchup, it keeps the familiar flavour of a Bengali vegetable chop while using much less oil.

Total Time: 40 minutes
Cuisine: Bengali
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 5

Nutrition for the total recipe:
289 kcal • Protein 8 g • Fat 9 g • Carbs 42 g

Ingredients

• 50 g carrot
• 50 g beetroot
• 100 g sweet potato
• 1 slice bread
• 10 g flour
• 2.5 ml mustard oil
• Grated ginger
• Chopped green chillies
• Cumin seeds
• Nigella seeds
• Black pepper
• Cloves
• Green cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Fennel seeds
• Dry red chillies
• Salt
• Water, as needed for the batter
• Kasundi, for serving
• Tomato ketchup, for serving

Method

1. Heat a kadai or dry pan and roast the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, green cardamom, cinnamon, dry red chilli, black pepper, cloves and nigella seeds until aromatic.
2. Let the roasted spices cool, then grind them into a powder. Keep aside.
3. Boil the sweet potato in water until just cooked. Do not overcook it. Peel and mash it, then keep aside.
4. Wash and peel the carrot and beetroot, then grate them.
5. Heat the mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Once hot, lower the heat and add the grated ginger and vegetables.
6. Add the freshly ground spice mixture, chopped green chillies and salt. Mix well and cook for about 5–6 minutes.
7. If the vegetable mixture still contains excess moisture, cook it a little longer until fairly dry. Switch off the heat and allow it to cool.
8. Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the mashed sweet potato and mix everything thoroughly.
9. Divide the mixture and shape it into small chops. I prefer a cylindrical shape, but you can shape them according to your preference.
10. Mix the flour with a little water to make a thin batter.
11. Toast the bread and grind it into breadcrumbs.
12. Dip each vegetable chop lightly into the flour batter, then coat it evenly with the breadcrumbs.
13. Place the chops in the air fryer and cook at 180°C for about 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
14. Serve hot with kasundi and tomato ketchup.

Ippitizer Note

The vegetable mixture should be fairly dry before shaping; too much moisture can make the chops difficult to hold together. Air frying gives them a crisp outer coating while keeping the sweet potato and vegetable centre soft and warmly spiced.