Kale Fritters and Banana Cutlets...
Unusual? Indeed. But ohh so yum.
Chef Rajiv Das presents these recipes that can be either perfect party nibbles or something to crunch on to enliven your day.
The cutlets, which feature kele ka phool, have a nice nutty taste and the wonton strips add chatpata to the fritters.
Chef Das knows exactly how to make food look wickedly tempting, as you can see from the pictures in this recipe, and he has created some prize-winning dishes while he was with the Hyatt Regency Mumbai's Italian restaurant Stax. Before joining the Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport he worked on cruise liners, and for the Marriott and Sahara Star.
Kale Fritters
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 80 gm fresh kale leaves
- 150 gm maida or all-purpose flour
- Salt to taste, around ½ tsp
- 1 cup water
- Oil for deep frying
- Sweet chilly sauce, to serve
- Ketchup, to serve
- White and black sesame seeds, roasted, to garnish
- Deep-fried wonton strips, to garnish
- Microgreens, to garnish
Method
- In a bowl, mix the maida and the salt along with some water to make a thick batter of flowing consistency.
There should be no lumps -- avoid adding too much water or the batter will become too watery. - Heat the oil in a kadhai or frying pan.
Dip the kale leaves in the batter and deep fry, one at a time so that they don't stick to each other, until golden brown.
Drain and transfer the kale fritters onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate.
In a plate, arrange the fritters one above the other (please see the pic above).
Top off with the wonton strips and the microgreens.
Garnish with the roasted sesame seeds.
Pour some chilly sauce over the fritters and serve hot with ketchup.
Banana Cutlets
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped banana flowers
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- Small bunch fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro, chopped
- Handful curry leaves
- 500 gm potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
- ½ tbsp garam masala
- ½ tbsp jeera or cumin seeds
- ½ tbsp black pepper powder
- 10 gm ginger, crushed
- 10 gm garlic, crushed
- Salt to taste, around ½ tsp
- Breadcrumbs, to coat the cutlets
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp oil for frying the flowers.
- Oil for deep frying
- Ketchup, to serve
- Mustard sauce, to plate
- Mayonnaise, to plate
- Fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro leaves, to garnish
- Red cholee or amaranth leaves, to plate
- 1 fried banana blossom, to plate
Method
- Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai or frying pan.
Add the cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves, green chillies.
Add the crushed ginger, garlic.
Saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.
Add the chopped banana flowers along with the salt, pepper, garam masala.
Saute for 10 minutes till all the moisture from the banana blossom is drawn out and the mixture looks dry.
The mixture would have almost reduced by half.
Add the potatoes, chopped green dhania and mix.
Take off heat and let the mixture cool.
Divide the mixture into large portions and roll them into round 2-inch diameter cutlets.
Refrigerator for an hour so the cutlets hold shape when fried. - In a bowl, beat the egg.
Keep aside. - Add the breadcrumbs in another bowl.
Keep aside. - Heat oil in a kadhai or frying pan.
Dip the cutlets in the egg and then roll them in the breadcrumbs and deep fry in batches, flipping occasionally, until golden brown.
Drain and transfer the cutlets onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate.
Squeeze some mustard sauce onto a plate to create a design (please see the pic above).
Place the cutlets on the prepared plate and garnish with coriander leaves.
Decorate with red amaranth leaves and add a dollop of mayonnaise.
Place a fried banana blossom on the plate and serve hot with ketchup.
Chef Rajiv Das is the executive chef at the Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai.
