Vegetable chop recipe or Bengali street style beetroot cutlet recipe with step-by-step pictures – Bengali vegetable chop or beetroot cutlet is popular street food in Kolkata. As it consists of boiled and mashed or crumbled beetroot, carrot and potatoes, well combined with bengali bhaja masala and is to be coated with breadcrumbs before deep frying.
For making this vegetable chop(beetroot cutlet), eggs have not been used for coating it with breadcrumbs as it’s a pure veg chop recipe in our bengali kitchen. This no onion-garlic veg chops or cutlet is Bengalis one of the favourite evening snacks which is also a high selling street style food in Kolkata.
Though I was not a huge fan of beetroot since my childhood, I never say no to this cutlet. This chop is crunchy from the outside, a little sweet but flavourful from the inside. Each bite of these simple but delicious beetroot chops can be a tough competitor of any non-veg cutlet recipe.
Now, you must have a question in your mind, how this bengali veg chop recipe is different from any other Indian vegetable cutlet recipe, right? Let me explain the reason, as we specially prepare a bengali bhaja masala for our vegetable chop and that creates the difference. And add a wonderful aroma and flavour to our vegetable chops. However, the use of dry roasted peanuts in this vegetable cutlet or chops adds an extra feather to its hat.
This bengali style vegetable chops or cutlets are generally served with a mixed salad of beetroot, carrot(occasional), onion and cucumber. Though we Bengalis always love to relish our cutlet recipe with kasundi or bengali mustard sauce tomato ketchup won’t be a bad idea if kasundi isn’t available around.
Try this bengali veg chop or beetroot cutlet recipe at home and please share your valuable feedback with me by leaving a comment in the comment section below.
You may like my other evening snacks i.e,
Bengali prawn cutlet (Mitra cafe style).
Vegetable chop – a Bengali street-style beetroot cutlet recipe
Ingredients of vegetable chop
- 3 medium beetroots or 1 1/2 cup beetroot in cubes
- 1 cup carrot (cut into medium cubes)
- 3 medium-sized potatoes
- 1/2 inch ginger or ginger paste
- 1 green chilli paste
- dry roasted spices(described below)
- 1/2 tsp amchur or dry mango powder
- a handful of dry roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp sugar(as per taste)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp oil
- salt(as required)
Bhaja Masala for Bengali veg chop
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf(big) or 2 small bay leaves
- 1 or 2 red chillies(as per taste)
For coating this beetroot chop
- 6 tbsp cornflour or arrowroot
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Refined oil/vegetable oil for deep frying
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Served in: 55 mins
Course: Evening snacks
Cuisine: Bengali
Served for: 8-9 people
Author: Moumita Paul
How to make vegetable chop (Bengali street-style) with step-by-step detail pictures
Instructions
Step 1 – Cut the vegetables(Beetroot, carrot & aloo)
- First, take beetroots, carrots, and potatoes, wash them thoroughly and peel it out. Cut beetroots and carrots into medium-sized cubes as shown in the pics.
- Then cut the medium-sized potatoes into 8 pieces as shown in the pic.
Step 2- Boil the veggies
- Take a pressure cooker, put all three vegetables in it and add 1 cup of water to it.
- Place the pressure cooker on the medium flame and wait for one whistle.
- Let the pressure cooker releases its pressure automatically, then remove the lid, take a strainer and strain the water from the vegetables.
- Keep the boiled vegetables under the running fan for 15 mins or keep it in the refrigerator to dry up the water from the boiled veggies. (explained in tips)
Step 3- Making vegetable chop Bhaja masala
Now, take a pan, add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, green cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, and dry red chillies and dry roast it till the aroma comes from the spices.
- Then little cool it down and put it in a grinder or use mortar-pestle and turn the dry roasted spices or bhaja masala into powder.
Step 4- Mash the veggies
- Once the veggies cool down, take a masher or use your hand to mash or crumble the boiled veggies. Though in Kolkata, small chunks of boiled veggies are easily identified in street vender’s vegetable chops.
- And to keep both authentic taste and texture, I prefer to keep the small chunks in it, as shown in the pic.
Step 5 – Making ginger-green chilli paste
- Then, take 1/2 inch ginger and 1 green chilli to paste it nicely, as shown in the pic.
Step 6- Making veg chop stuffing
Saute Masala in oil
- Now take a pan, place it on medium heat, once the pan gets hot, add 1 tbsp oil to it.
- When gets hot, add the ginger-green chilli paste to it. Add turmeric powder to it, stir it well.
- Then add dry roasted ground spices or bhaja masala to it and sauté it for next few secs(keep stirring to avoid burning).
Saute Mashed vegetables
- Add the mashed or crumbled boiled veggies to the pan and mix it nicely with the sautéed spices.
- Then add salt to the veggies and give it a good mix.
- Next, add the required amount of sugar to these mashed or crumbled vegetables. I’ve used 2 tbsp sugar for it, but you may increase or decrease the amount of sugar as per your need.
- Now add, amchur or dry mango powder to it and mix it well with the veggies.
- Then you need to stir the veggies(mashed or crumbled) till the moisture goes off, and the veggies will easily leave the pan while stirring. As shown in the pic. Turn off the heat.
Add Peanuts
- Now add dry roasted peanuts to it and mix it nicely with the veggies. And mix it nicely with it.
- Then remove the stuffing of this chop on a plate. And keep the plate under a running fan until it cools down or even you can put this in the refrigerator for 10 mins for quick cooling.
Step 7 – Give shape to veg chop patties
- Once this veg chop stuffing cools down, start making the patties from it. And then give the shape of the dough a cylindrical shape patties. The dough size depends on you.
Step 8 – Coat the beetroot chop with breadcrumbs
- Now take cornflour or arrowroot in a bowl and add little water to it to make a lite batter of it. And add a little salt to the batter.
- Then take the breadcrumbs in a plate, add a little salt to it and mix it nicely.
- First, take a cylindrical shape vegetable chops dough or patty, dip it into the cornflour or arrowroot batter. And then put it on the breadcrumbs plate.
- After putting the patty on the breadcrumb, roll the cylindrical shape veg chop or cutlet dough or patty into the breadcrumbs and nicely coat the cutlet with it.
- Then place the beetroot cutlets in the freezer for 10-15 mins to get the awesome crunch.
Step 9 – Frying vegetable chop
- After 10-15 mins, place a pan on medium heat, let the pan gets hot, add refined oil to the pan and make it hot.
- When the oil gets heated up, add the breadcrumbs-coated veg chop or cutlet to the pan.
- Once it’s done from one side, turn the cutlets and let the other side gets done.
- When the cutlets get golden brown colour from both sides, then remove it from the pan and place the cutlets on the paper towel to soak the excess oil.
- Kolkata street style vegetable chop aka Bengali beetroot cutlet is ready, serve it hot with kasundi or mustard sauce or even with tomato ketchup. Don’t forget to serve fresh salads of beetroot, carrot, onion, and cucumber with this veg chop or beetroot cutlet recipe.
Tips
- I generally prefer to coat my vegetable beetroot cutlet twice to get the extra crunch in my recipe, if you want to do the same, use double the amount of breadcrumbs. And then after removing the single coating beetroot cutlet from the freezer, again dip it into the cornflour batter and coat it once again with the breadcrumbs. Then place it to the freezer for more 10-15 mins and deep fry it in oil.
- You can preserve this veg cutlet or chop for one day after coating, you can prepare it one day before and store it in an airtight container to keep it in the refrigerator.
- After adding the cutlet in the oil, you may notice its skin becomes purple(same as the colour of stuffing), but don’t be afraid of. Let it be fry perfectly from both sides to get the golden brown colour.
Based on 12 Review(s)
Hi Moumita,
I am really thankful to you.I prepared by following the way you did,It came out tasteful.My wife,Kid,Neighbors all enjoyed it and I got all positive feedback..
Thank you so much Ramakrushna