Minced or ground meat (mutton or beef) – 1/2 lb, around 250gm

Potato – 2 medium-sized

Oil – 2 tbsp

Curry leaves – a few, chopped

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Onion – 1, finely chopped

Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp

Green chili – 1, finely chopped

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp, divided

Red chili  powder – 1 1/2 tsp, divided

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp (or to taste)

Salt – to taste

Amchur powder – 1/2 tsp (or juice of half a lime)

Cilantro leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped

For the cutlets,

Meat and potato filling – above quantity

Egg – 1, large

Breadcrumbs – 1 cup

Oil – for frying

Method

Meat-potato filling: Cook the meat and potatoes along with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt and a little less than 1/4 cup water. I use a pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles and then allow the pressure to be released naturally. You can use a regular pan and cook the meat by adding a little water. Peel the potatoes when slightly cool and keep aside.

In a large pan or deep skillet, heat 2tbsp oil. Add chopped curry leaves and cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.

Add onions and saute till lightly golden. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chili and saute well till the raw smell is gone.

Add the rest of the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and saute for a few seconds.

To this, add the cooked meat and potatoes and mix well, breaking down the potatoes while doing so. Be careful to add only the meat and potatoes and not any of the cooking liquid. The filling must be fairly dry. (Use the meaty stock in another recipe.)

Add salt, black pepper powder and amchur powder (or lime juice) and cook for a few minutes to combine everything together well, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, black pepper or lime juice. Finish by sprinkling some chopped cilantro leaves. Remove from heat and cool well before forming the cutlets/croquettes.

Forming and frying the cutlets: Set up your dipping and dredging station. Take the lightly beaten egg in a shallow dish and breadcrumbs in another. Keep on hand a lightly greased large plate or tray to hold the formed patties.

Form small balls of the filling with your hands and flatten it slightly to a smooth disk shape. Alternately, you can make oval or cylindrical shapes as well.

Dip lightly into the beaten egg, shake off excess and roll in the breadcrumbs to cover the patty on all sides. Place on the plate/tray. Repeat till all the filling is used up. At this point, you can either freeze the patties for future use or fry them right away. Allow the coating to dry and firm up slightly before frying them. Some folks refrigerate them for a while to speed up things.

Heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, drop in 2-3 patties, reduce heat to medium-high and fry till golden brown on all sides. Remove on to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Increase the heat again before frying the next batch. Repeat till all cutlets/croquettes are done.

Serve them hot along with some ketchup and a hot cup of tea or coffee for a delicious snack. Cutlets can also be served along with a main meal. It goes well with almost all kinds of rice dishes and can also be eaten as a burger sandwiched between lightly toasted bread or burger buns.