Chicken cutlets

I am not a Christian, but I do believe that Jesus Christ was a Messenger of God just like Krishna or Buddha or Moses or Muhammad.  So when someone asks me if I celebrate Christmas, I reply in the negative.  I have been asked this question more and more in the past few days.  Inquisitiveness taking the better of me, I wanted to know what the regular Christians do during Christmas here in Belgium.  So when I was asked this question again, “Do you celebrate Christmas?”I responded with another question, “What is ‘celebrate’ and how do you celebrate Christmas?”  The answer I got was, “We eat and drink together with the family and exchange gifts.” I had to ask, “What about the Mass at Church?  What about giving to the poor?” I received blank and surprised stares from my friend and all those with him who were hearing the conversation.  I realized I had asked something stupid and perhaps outrageous to some.  So if people in Belgium celebrated Christmas by having dinner and drinks together and gift giving, I too was in effect celebrating Christmas like everyone else.  And so were all the Moroccans and Turkish living in Belgium, albeit unknowingly.  We were all eating and drinking (perhaps not wine, but nonetheless drinking something!) on Christmas Eve.  I even had a small plastic Christmas tree all decorated by my daughter.  I was indeed celebrating Christmas!

Now in India, on Christmas Eve you would see 100s of people headed to the cathedrals and churches for the midnight mass.  On Christmas morn, our Christian neighbors brought us sweets and cakes, cookies and savories to celebrate the birth of Christ.  I thought Christmas was all about that – sharing and giving.  But Christianity had always been strong in the West – perhaps the believers in the East have got it all wrong! 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Makes: 12 cutlets

Ingredients:

750 grams minced chicken

4 eggs

2 red onions, grated

2 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves

1" piece ginger

8 cloves garlic

2 green chilies

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 cup blanched almonds

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup corn oil for frying

Method:

 

1. Coarsely grind the almonds and mix it in a large bowl along with the chicken mince. 
2. Soak the bread crumbs in milk and keep aside. 
3. Coarsely grind the ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and green chilies and add to the chicken mixture. 
4. Add the nutmeg powder along with the salt, pepper, bread crumbs and eggs to the mixture. 
5. Divide mixture into 12 equal parts and shape into cutlets.
6. Heat oil in a deep pan and when hot, deep fry the cutlets till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with salads and/or grilled vegetables.

Green Peas Stuffed Cutlets

Green Peas - memories that I associate with green peas are of stealthily going into the shopping bags when mom or dad would get them from the bazaar and opening the pods and eating them. They were sweet and tender and merely the act of quietly taking them and eating them was immensely pleasurable. By the time it was time to cook them, we had already finished half of them raw. These days you get the frozen peas which are already cleaned and ready to cook - but oh! for the simple pleasures of peeling and eating these peas fresh from the pod. Whenever possible, I still do go and buy them fresh so my children too can experience the same joy I had of eating them from the pod - and they too manage to stealthily take a few and peel and munch them before I can shout at them to stop - because I need them for my recipe.

Green peas stuffed cutlets is not a very difficult dish to prepare and can be eaten as a snack or an aperitif.

Preparation Time : 45 minutes

Makes 12 cutlets

Ingredients

Green Peas (shelled) - 1 cup

Boiled Potatoes - 5

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Bread Crumbs - 1 cup

Corn Flour - 1 tbsp

Thin vermicelli - 100 gms

Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil for deep frying

Green chillies - 2

Salt

Method:

For the stuffing: Boil the green peas with a little salt. Drain water and add the chilli powder. Mix well and keep aside.

Mash the boiled potatoes. Add the chopped green chillies, bread crumbs, corn flour, coriander leaves and salt and mix well to form a mixture.

Now divide the potato mixture into small portions. Flatten each portion, place a little of the peas filling in between and seal to form an egg shaped cutlet.

Roll the cutlet over the vermicelli to cover all sides. Shape the rest of the cutlets in the same way. Heat oil in a pan, and deep fry cutlets on medium heat till brown.

It can be served with a chutney or sauce or eaten just as is.