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
Equipment
- Shallow cooking pot
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
Instructions
- 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
- Once they become fragrant add the fish chunks with all the spice powders, sugar and salt. Mix throughly and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Then add the mashed, boiled potatoes and mix well, until evenly combined. Check for salt here and adjust if needed
- 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
- 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
- Dredge each patty in flour, then the beaten eggs and then roll them in the bread crumbs**
- 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
- 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!
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