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"Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
Kitchen Mai

Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets)

A very popular Bengali snack made of spiced, boneless chunks of fish and potatoes that pairs deliciously with the spicy Bengali mustard sauce kasundi. These shallow fried cutlets are a great party appetizer, as well
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 26 chop/cutlets
Course: Appetizer, Finger food, Snack
Cuisine: Bengali, Indian
Calories: 61
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g tuna chunks canned
  • 2 medium potatoes boiled & mashed
  • ½ cup onions finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp garlic finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chilis finely chopped
  • 3-4 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Bengali garam masala powder*
  • ¼ cup peanuts roasted & coarsely crushed
  • 1 tbsp pink/black salt optional
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 4-5 tbsp oil for shallow frying
  • salt to taste
For the crumb coating
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs whisked until frothy

Equipment

  • Shallow cooking pot

Method
 

  1. In your cooking pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the onions. Fry until they turn light brown and then add the chilis, ginger and garlic
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  2. Once they become fragrant add the fish chunks with all the spice powders, sugar and salt. Mix throughly and cook for 3-4 minutes
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  3. Then add the mashed, boiled potatoes and mix well, until evenly combined. Check for salt here and adjust if needed
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  4. Turn the flame off and mix in the peanuts and coriander leaves. Let it cool down enough for you to be able to shape them
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  5. Set up your crumbing station. Pinch out golf ball sized portions out of the cooked fish and potato mixture, shape and flatten them out in small patties
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  6. Dredge each patty in flour, then the beaten eggs and then roll them in the bread crumbs**
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  7. Once all of them are shaped, heat the remaining oil and then turn the flame to medium. Fry the patties in batches, until both sides turn golden brown
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"
  8. Remove on absorbent kitchen towels and drizzle a pinch of pink/black salt over each cutlet. Serve your lip smacking macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) with some kasundi and/or ketchup. Enjoy!
    "Macher chop (Bengali fish cutlets) - www.kitchenmai.com"

Notes

  • *To make the Bengali garam masala, dry roast a tablespoon of cloves and green cardamoms along with an inch of cinnamon stick and 3-4 dried red chilis. Cool and grind it to fine powder and use 
  • **You can flash freeze them, at this point, for 30 minutes and then pack and freeze the patties to fry at a later time 
  • I have used canned tuna chunks for my recipe, but you can also use boiled and de-boned rohu (rui maach) and/or katla. Traditionally, these freshwater fishes are only used 
  • The sugar in the recipe will not make the cutlets sweet. It is added to round up the savoury flavours
  • 1 cup = 250 millilitres
  • 1 tbsp - tablespoon
  • 1 tsp = teaspoon