With the beginning of fall season and the Holidays around the corner, I thought I'd share some recipes that would be great for entertaining.  For these Indian inspired meat cutlets,  the meat flavor and inspiration comes from my travels to India.  I stayed at The Park Hotel in Kolkata (excellent hotel by the way) and really enjoyed their breakfast buffets.  They had a chicken cutlet that was amazing, and I asked the head chef how he made it.  His recipe was quite labor intensive: making meat patties using cooked ground chicken and mashed potatoes and dipping it into egg and bread crumbs before deep frying it .  Although the taste and texture was amazing,  I decided to come up with my own recipe that was full of flavor, not as labor intensive and didn't need deep frying.  I still wanted the bold curry flavor, the crispy exterior and the moist juicy interior.   How to achieve that?

 I decided to pan fry a mixture of "hash browns", ground meat and Indian spices. I recently brought these cutlets to a neighborhood gathering and my friend, a retired cordon bleu chef and her husband, a very picker foodie, loved it!  This was definitely a hit.

Tips for making Indian inspired meat cutlets.

Meat.

Any ground meat will work as these cutlets have a strong flavor, packed with Indian spices. In India, these meat cutlets are usually made of chicken, but can be made with any ground meat. I personally prefer them with ground beef.

Potato.

The potato in the recipe helps keep the meat juicy.  Instead of mashing the potato, I shred the potato with either a box grater or a food processor, as if making potato pancakes or hash browns. Incorporate the raw, grated potatoes into the meat mixture together with the flavorings. The potato will crisp up during frying which gives the cutlet a wonderful crisp exterior.

Flavoring.

The meat and potato mixture is flavored with spices, chopped onion, chopped green chili (optional) and cilantro.  After mixing the spices together.  Allow the meat to sit for at least an hour to marinate.

Frying. 

As a healthier alternative, I pan fry these cutlets rather than deep fry them.  Use a melon baller to scoop the meat to make round meatballs.  Place the meatballs into the skillet and flatten them slightly until they are about 3/4" (10cm) thick.  This will allow you to get uniform sized cutlets for bite-size appetizers!

Accompaniments for the Indian inspired meat cutlets.

Serve these cutlets with a dipping sauce of Indian raita (yogurt dip) and a chutney.  The yoghurt dip neutralizes the spiciness of the cutlet for those who cannot take the "heat" as well as provide an extra crunch from the diced cucumbers and onions.  The "sweet-sour" from the fruit chutney complements the tangy raita and bold flavor of the patty.  It's a delectable combination!

If you try this recipe, I would love to know what you think in the comment section.