Kheema vadai aka croquette

Kheema vadais aka croquettes are small, rounded/cone/cylindrical shaped mass of minced meat (mutton or beef), fish, vegetables, coated with egg and bread crumbs and deep-fried in oil. Those really are something that excites our desire for more and more. Isn't it a tempting appetizer which can be easily made at home?

Homemade kheema vadai aka croquette recipe

Ingredients:
Minced meat – ½ kg (mutton or beef)
Onion – 1, medium size, finely chopped
Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
Green chillies – 3, medium size, medium hot, deseeded
Cinnamon – 1-inch stick
Cloves – 4
Ginger – ½-inch piece
Cardomom – 1, whole
Puffed bengal-gram dal – 2 tablespoons, powdered (optional)
Cashew nuts – 6, broken into small bits
Garlic – 4 beadsSalt – ½ teaspoon
Black pepper powder – ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Bread slice – 1, soaked in water for 5 minutes and squeezed it dry
Mint leaves – a small bunch, finely chopped
Coriander leaves – a small bunch, finely chopped
Egg - 2Water – ½ cup
Breadcrumps - ½ cup
Oil for deep-frying

Method: Fry the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and whole cardamoms all together in a teaspoon of very hot oil to a reddish brown color. Remove from heat and grind these to a smooth paste and keep aside. Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste separately and keep aside. Wash the minced meat and squeeze out from the water and put in a pan. Add to it the ginger-garlic paste, chopped onions, green chillies, salt, black pepper powder, and turmeric powder with ½ cup of water. Mix well, cover, and cook over moderate heat till all the water has been absorbed and the minced meat is dry. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Grind the cooked minced meat to a coarse paste in a blender. Now add to it the coriander and pudina leaves, cashew nuts, puffed bengal-gram powder, cinnamon-cloves-cardomom paste, and bread slice. Break one egg over it. Mix all thoroughly with your hand.

Heat a deep fry pan and pour in the oil for deep frying. When the oil becomes very hot, take a small ball of minced meat, form it into a cocktail-type sausage shape or flatten it slightly between the palms of the hand, dip it into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs all over, and slip gently into the very hot oil. Slip in 4 or 5 croquettes made in the same way and cook over moderate to low heat, so that they cook slowly right through to the center. When fried into a dark to golden brown in color, remove to a dry plate, and allow it to cool.

PS chef notes: Do not cook the croquettes over fierce heat because that may cause getting dark brown color on the surface and yet remain uncooked inside.

Traditional Indian Home Cooking Recipe: Homemade kheema vadais aka croquettes