[GuestPost] South Asian snacks by Mehereen

The British left the subcontinent over 60 years ago, but remnants of their rule can still be seen in the daily lives of residents of their former colony. One such relic is the concept of evening tea. The British are well known for their afternoon and evening teas, where spreads such as scones with clotted cream, mini cucumber sandwiches and various petit fours accompany a hot cup of tea. In many areas of India and Pakistan, the family gets together for tea in the evening to discuss the affairs of the day or friends meet up for coffee to catch wind of news climbing through the grapevine. All such discussions can only take place over food, but instead of scones and cucumber sandwiches, there are vegetable fritters (pakoras), chana chaat (chickpea salad) and potato cutlets. These snacks gain even more popularity during the monsoon season, when people gather on their terraces and patios to enjoy the rain, while sipping their tea and chowing down their favorite manna.

• ·         4 medium sized potatoes
• ·         1 tsp salt
• ·         1 tsp black pepper
• ·         ½ tsp red chili powder
• ·         ½ tsp paprika powder
• ·         2 shallots, diced
• ·         5 green chillies, chopped
• ·         1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
• ·         1 cup breadcrumbs
• ·         1 egg
• ·         ¼ glass milk
• ·         ½ cup flour

•  4 cups chopped mint
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 green chilli’s, chopped
• Salt
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 tsp lemon juice

• ·         Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 40 minutes or till soft
• ·         Remove from water and let them cool for about 10 minutes
• ·         Peel the skin off the potatoes and using your hands mash them completely (You can use a fork or any other utensil, but I prefer to use my hands to break them down completely, so that there are no lumps)
• ·         Add in the shallots, spices, green chillies and coriander and mix well till all the ingredients are combined
• ·         Pour a dash of olive oil and mix well (The olive oil helps to form the patties with ease as they do not stick to your hands)
• ·         Spoon a lump of the mixture into your hands and shape into a ball
• ·         Using the palm of your hands, flatten the ball into a round patty (about 1 inch in thickness), smoothing the edges all the while. Repeat with the rest of the mixture
• ·         Rest them on a kitchen towel before crumbing them
• ·         Beat the milk into the egg and set aside
• ·         Coat the patty in the flour, shaking off the excess, dip it into the egg mixture and finally coat it with the breadcrumbs generously. Make sure all sides are covered
• ·         Heat oil in a pan and lightly fry the cutlets till they are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side
• ·         Place them on a kitchen towel before serving to soak in the excess oil

• Mince the chopped mint in a food processor till very fine
• Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor and blitz till all the ingredients are mixed well
• The consistency of the chutney is your prerogative. Add or subtract the amount of water depending on whether you want the chutney to be thick or runny