Chickpea cutlet is a very tasty vegan dish that can be served in the main course as well as enjoyed as a snack. These vegan cutlets are made in the Indian style which is slightly different from the way cutlets are made in western countries.
Cutlets are enjoyed all over the world but every country has a different way of making them.
In India, cutlets are made with spiced mashed vegetables or minced meat, which are then given a shape (generally oval or circular), breaded, and deep-fried.
Today, I am sharing the recipe for chickpea cutlets. These vegan cutlets are delicious and are equally enjoyed by meat-eaters too.
In India, cutlets are usually served for breakfast or as a snack. You can also serve them as a main course dish.
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Ingredients needed to make chickpea cutlets
To make chickpea cutlets, you will need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredients notes
- Cooked chickpeas: Home-cooked chickpeas give better result as they are moister. When cooking chickpeas for cutlets, overcook them. It will be easier to mash overcooked chickpeas and they will also be more moist.
- Seasoning and spices: I have used only chili flakes, salt, pepper, and garlic to flavor these cutlets. That's the way I prefer them. You may add more spices like ground cumin, garam masala, ginger, etc. to flavor them.
How to make (step by step instructions)?
Steps 1 and 2: Put the boiled chickpeas in a large bowl and mash until smooth.
Step 3: Add chopped onion, garlic, cilantro, chili flakes, pepper, and salt.
Step 4: Mix everything.
Steps 5 and 6: Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts. Roll each part between your palms and flatten them into ½ inch thick cutlets.
Step 7: Put all-purpose flour in a bowl. One by one, roll all the cutlets over the flour, dust off the extra flour, and put them on a plate.
Steps 8 and 9: In a large bowl, mix flour and water to make a smooth batter.
Step 10: Pick one cutlet and dip it into the flour batter. Quickly pick up and drip off the excess batter.
Step 11: Roll it over bread crumbs until the cutlet gets evenly coated with crumbs. Repeat the process with all the remaining cutlets.
Step 12: Deep fry until they turn golden brown.
Your delicious vegan chickpea cutlets are ready to be enjoyed.
Serving suggestions
Serve these vegan cutlets warm or hot.
In India, if served for breakfast they are generally served with some toasted bread and a dipping sauce.
If serving as a snack, serve it with a chutney like mint chutney, tomato coriander chutney, or any other dipping sauce of your choice.
In the main course serve cutlets with some grilled or stir-fried vegetables. It can also be served with a salad like Fattoush, Tabouleh, or French carrot salad.
Storing tips
To store, keep them in airtight containers and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
You can also store them before deep-frying, for around 2 days.
Freezing tips
Both fried and unfried cutlets can be frozen for around 3-4 months.
To freeze, spread them in a single layer on a freezer-safe tray and freeze for around 2-3 hours. Once they are frozen, transfer them to freezer-safe containers or zip lock bags and freeze.
Reheating cutlets
To reheat cooked cutlets, either microwave them or deep fry again. You can also shallow fry them.
After microwaving the cutlets may become soft for a while. Allow them a few seconds to regain their normal shape and texture before serving.
To cook frozen uncooked cutlets, deep fry them. You don't need to thaw them first, just remove the big ice crystals(if any) before adding them to the hot oil.
Recipe tips and tricks
- You may add boiled and mashed vegetables to these chickpea cutlets.
- Feel free to add more seasonings to the mashed chickpeas.
- Try using home-cooked chickpeas for better results.
- Overcook the chickpeas if cooking to make cutlets.
- Don't leave the cutlets in the flour batter for too long. After dipping them in the batter quickly take them out, drip off the excess liquid, and immediately roll over the bread crumbs. Otherwise, they will start breaking and falling apart.
- Use a shallow bowl instead of a very deep bowl for flour batter. Managing cutlets in shallow bowls will be easier.
- Don't make the batter too thick or thin. A thick batter will give doughy cutlets and a thin batter won't stick to the cutlets. Keep the consistency of the batter somewhat similar to a beaten egg.
- After breading, you can also refrigerate the breaded cutlets for a few hours. Deep fry before serving.
- For a healthier version, either shallow fry or bake the cutlets.
Frequently asked question
For the gluten-free version, use gluten-free bread crumbs and replace all-purpose flour with rice flour or chickpea flour.
Yes, these cutlets can also be baked or shallow fried if you want a healthier version. You can also use an air fryer to make them.
More easy chickpea recipes
Looking for more easy chickpea recipes from around the world? Don't miss to check the following links:
More vegan snack recipes
If you want to check more easy vegan snack recipes, the following links are worth checking:
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Recipe
Chickpea cutlets
Equipment
- Wok/ cooking pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic adjust to taste
- A handful of cilantro finely chopped
- 1.5 cups bread crumbs
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water or as required to get the desired consistency
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Canola/ vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Put the boiled chickpeas in a bowl and mash with a masher or backside of a spoon.
- Add chopped onion, garlic, cilantro, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix everything. Check and adjust the seasoning.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts. Roll each part between your palms and flatten them into around ½ inch thick cutlets.
- Put all-purpose flour in a bowl. One by one, roll all the cutlets over the flour, dust off the extra flour, and put on a plate.
- Mix the remaining flour and water to make a smooth paste.
- Make a breading station with two bowls. In one bowl put the bread crumbs and in another shallow bowl put the flour paste.
- Pick one cutlet and dip it in the flour paste. Make sure the paste gets nicely coated on every side. Drip off the excess liquid and then transfer the cutlet to the bowl of bread crumbs. Turn the cutlet over the breadcrumbs until all the sides get evenly coated. Keep it on a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining cutlets.
- Heat oil in a wok or cooking pot. Deep fry the cutlets until they turn golden brown from all the sides.
Notes
- More seasoning like Italian herbs, onion powder, cumin, etc, can be added to increase the flavor.
- For gluten-free cutlets, use gluten-free bread crumbs or rice flour.
- Instead of cilantro, parsley can be used too.
- These cutlets can be baked or shallow fried too.
- More recipe tips and tricks are given in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
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