Soya Cutlets/Patties

Everyone knows that getting a child to finish his plate of rice and daal is every bit as difficult as building a space shuttle. But even tougher is getting a senior citizen to eat what is good for him. The moment you tell a diabetic patient that whole wheat roti is a healthy alternative to white rice, he obstinately pushes aside his rotis and demands nothing less than a bowl of biriyani. He steals chocolates when he thinks no one is looking, snacks on aloo samosas and jalebis when he goes on his “evening walk”, and eats most of the sugar laden, forbidden refreshments served to his guests, fully aware that his family is not going to lecture to him about his diet in their presence. (God forbid this ever happens, because the poor, well meaning family is NOT going to like what happens after the guests leave.)

Now, if people with, eh, such health issues formed a union in Kerala, their first task would be to ban soya in the state. I mean, have you ever tried telling them that soya was good for them? With luck, all they may do is pretend to belch in your face, but I have seen and heard worse. Anyway, just like you would hide vegetables and lentils in pizzas and sandwiches for your kids, you can make a soya burger for your parents (or uncles or aunties or whoever the fussy adult is). Throw in a line about how unhealthy the burger is, and don’t bother mentioning what it is actually made of, and they are going to love it.

• Servings: 4-serving
• Time: 45 mins
• Difficulty: medium
• Print

Summary

• Cuisine: indian
• Course: snack
• Cooking Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

200 grams Soya chunks

5  +  1/2 cups Bread Slices + milk

1 Egg

cloves , 1 Piece ginger + Garlic crushed together ” +  2

1 large  +  2 Onion +  finely chopped   green chilies ,

2 / Chickenvegetable taste maker cubes

1 tablespoon Dried oregano  

1 tablespoon dried basil (or herbs of choice) 

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

To taste, Salt and pepper

as required Plain Flour

to fry Oil ,

Steps

1. In a large pot, boil soya chunks in salted water for about five minutes.
2. Remove from heat, and leave the pot covered for another ten minutes. Drain the water and wash the soya chunks in cold water 3 or 4 times.
3. Working with a handful of soya chunks at a time, squeeze out water from them using all your strength, and keep aside.
4. Crumble the chunks roughly with fingers.
5. Crumble the bread slices and soak in milk for about five minutes.
6. Beat the egg lightly with a fork.
7. In a food processor, slightly pulse the soya chunks. We don’t want it to become pasty.
8. Mix together soya, soaked bread, crumbled tastemaker cubes, beaten egg, onion, green chilies, ginger, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, salt and pepper, till well combined.
9. If you wish to serve them as cutlets, measure out 2 tablespoons of the mixture, shape into a round cutlet about 5 cms in diameter and keep aside.
10. Continue till the mixture is used up.
11. On the other hand, for burger patties, shape the mixture into big or small patties to fit your burger buns. Roll the cutlets/ patties in plain flour.
12. Pour oil into a non stick pan, till it rises up by about a centimetre.
13. Heat over a medium hig flame, and drop in the cutlets carefully. Do not over crowd the pan, else the oil temperature will drop.
14. When one side is brown, turn over and fry till the other side is browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain excess oil on absorbent paper.
15. Serve hot with a salad or tomato sauce. Or else sandwich in burger buns with tomato and cucumber slices and mayonnaise.

Enjoy!