Vegetable Cutlet (Vegetable Tikki)

This delicious vegetable cutlet (vegetable tikki) is vegan, gluten-free, and an easy snack to make even on a weekday! You could enjoy this beetroot cutlet on its own or use it as a patty to make a yummy veggie burger!

Beetroot is one vegetable that has never stopped amazing me!

While growing up I used to love this stir-fry that my mom used to make with beetroot. She’ll start by cooking diced beets with salt. Mustard seeds are tempered in oil, followed by sliced shallots, curry leaves, and crushed dry chillies. Cooked beet is added to this pan, mixed well to coat in this spicy seasoning, and served as an accompaniment with rice and other curries. I was always amazed by how a few tablespoons of this preparation could render an entire plate of rice with a striking pink-red colour!

This fascination grew with me. During my engineering days, we used to frequent the Indian Coffee House (ICH) in our university campus. And boy, they use beetroots in many preparations! The masala in their masala dosa and the masala that they serve with pooris had this bright pink-red colour! They are probably the only restaurant chain that I have come across who use this unique vegetable in their signature gravies. Then there are their vegetable cutlets! Crispy on the outside, and vibrant and delicious inside patties made with a blend of carrots and beets. I loved them!

Story of this vegetable cutlet (vegetable tikki)

I had forgotten about these vegetable cutlets for a long time. A few months back, while catching up with friends, someone mentioned our frequent motorcycle rides to the ICH, and the food that we used to have! That weekend, I tried making these cutlets at home for the first time. It came out well!

We have been making them often ever since, and now I have figured out a balanced recipe that I am confident to share with you here!

It’s quite easy to make and requires very few ingredients. You only need some potatoes, beetroots, carrots, onions, breadcrumbs, and salt to cook a tasty plate of this vegetable cutlets. You can enjoy the vegetable tikki with some ketchup or use these beetroot patties to make burgers.

If you are looking for other easy vegetarian starters or snacks check out following recipes as well.

• Chilli Paneer
• Roasted Almonds

Print Recipe

Vegetable Cutlet

This delicious vegetable cutlet (vegetable tikki) is vegan, gluten-free, and an easy snack to make even on a weekday! You could enjoy this beetroot cutlet on its own or use it as a patty to make a yummy veggie burger!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6 pieces

Ingredients

• 1 big potato check recipes note for the ideal ratio
• 1 medium beetroot
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 green chilli
• 1 medium onion
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt
• oil

Instructions

• Dice the potatoes and cook them covered in water by simmering.
  
• Once they are cooked, switch off the flame. Drain the water, and mash them until you get them lump-free.
• Finely* chop the onions, beets, carrots, and the green chilli.
• Heat some oil in a pan and saute the onions.
  
• When they start turning golden brown, add the finely chopped green chillies and mix well.
  
• Cook for a minute, and add the finely chopped carrots and beetroots.
  
• Mix well, cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium flame. The trapped steam will fasten the cooking.
  
• Open the lid and lower the flame. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix well.
  
• Continue cooking while stirring occasionally. You should cook till there is no water content left in the pan**.
• Now transfer the beet-carrot mix to the pot with the mashed potato.
  
• Mix well to get all the ingredients*** evenly distributed.
• Divide the mix into 6 equal parts. Roll them into balls and flatten into patties (tikkis).
  
• Heat some oil in the pan.
• Roll the patty in breadcrumbs to get an even coating.
  
• Slowly place the patty in the pan, and fry on a medium flame. You can cook 2 or 3 patties at a time.
  
• Turn them over to get a nice, crispy brown texture on both sides. Take them off the pan, and drain off any excess oil with kitchen towels.
• Alternatively, you could deep fry them in oil. I prefer shallow-frying. In fact, not much frying is required as all the ingredients are cooked even before we assemble them to patties.
• Serve hot with some ketchup and other dipping sauces. Or make a burger - patty, a thin slice of tomato, onion and some ketchup! Delicious!

Notes

*The "finely chopping" part is required for the beets and carrots to cook properly. Finer the better!

**It is IMPORTANT to cook till all the water disappear. If you leave water in the mix, the patties are not going to hold together.

***My golden rule is to have 1 cup of mashed potato for 1 1/2 cups of cooked beet-carrot. That is the best balance of flavours while retaining the shape.