Tuna cutlets with potato

Tuna cutlets are eaten with relish in my home. A simple meal of dal rice with tuna cutlets can be very comforting and lift spirits even on the dullest days. I have two tuna cutlet recipes and I alternate them so we get to eat both. This recipe was shared by my younger sister Doreen, who is quite a cook and baker. She is always cooking new recipes but surprisingly I have never borrowed many recipes from her in the past. These days, however, it's a different story. Usually over our daily chats we talk about what we have cooked and if the day's menu seems appealing, we end up sharing recipes. Thanks to technology like What's app, communication has become much easier specially if you live far and can't make expensive phone calls.

Anyhow, this recipe is a little different from the one I used to make regularly. The addition of potatoes and spices to the cutlets in this recipe, adds a lot of flavor and also gives it a lovely texture. You can find the recipe for the previous tuna cutlets here.

Recipe Credit : Doreen D'sa (my sister :-)

Ingredients:

1. Tuna flakes(360-400 gms) - 2 tins 
2. Boiled potatoes - 3 medium
3. Onion - 1 large, chopped finely
4. Garlic -1 tsp finely chopped
5. Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
6. Green chilies - 2 finely chopped
7. Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp finely chopped 
8. Chili powder - 1 tsp 
9. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 
10. Freshly ground pepper - 1 tsp 
11. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp 
12. Oil, as required for shallow frying
13. Salt, as per taste
14. Eggs - 2 nos
15. Breadcrumbs - 1 cup  

Method:

1. In a pan fry the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chili till the whole mixture turns brown.
2. Add all powders except the garam masala powder and stir well.
3. Add the tuna and mix well, keep stirring and let it cook for about two minutes.
4. Add the garam masala powder and coriander leaves and mix well. Put off the flame.
5. Let the tuna mixture cool, post which add the mashed boiled potatoes. Mix the whole thing well and make round balls and flatten it out like patties.
6. Refrigerate for half hour.
7. Break the two eggs in a bowl and lightly beat it. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Spread the breadcrumbs in a plate.
9. Heat a pan, add oil for shallow frying. When the pan is hot, dip the patty in egg and coat it in the breadcrumbs, and put it in the hot pan.
10. Shallow fry on both sides for five minutes each or till they turn brown and look done.

Tinned Fish Cutlets

I am not a fish eater. Many are surprised considering that I hail from the coastal Mangalore famous for its delicious fish preparations. My family like true Mangis (Mangloreans) loves fish, specially in curries. In fact growing up, I had a tough time during meals since fish curry rice was a staple diet on week days. My mother refused to cook separately for me and I had to make do with rice and curry minus the fish or curd and rice.

Lucky for me the Goan I married isn't too fond of fish either. :-)

A big part of what I am in the kitchen today is thanks to my mother-in-law. She has taught me many things, not only inside the kitchen but also outside it. She taught me that fish need not necessarily be eaten in curries. One could make yummy cutlets too. Over the years I have tried different permutations and combinations of ingredients, and finally perfected the cutlets. And that's what I share with you today. I am told one can replace tin fish with fresh tuna (kupa), or king fish (rawas). But I have never tried that.

Ingredients:

1. Tin fish in oil (tuna) - 180 grams
2. Onion (small) - 1 no (chopped)
3. Tomato (small) - 1 no (chopped)
4. Green chilly - 1 no (chopped)
5. Ginger - 1/2 tsp (grated)
6. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
7. Bread slices - 1 or 2
8. Oil - as required * (see notes)
9. Bread crumbs - as required

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions, fry till they turn pink. Add the chopped tomato, ginger and chilly and continue sauteing till the mixture looks mushy.
2. Add the tuna chunks, give it a good stir and break the chunks into smaller bits. Mix it well and take it off the stove. Put the mixture aside to cool.
3. In the mean time, soak the bread slices in water and squeeze the water out. It will look like a ball of dough.
4. Add the bread to the tuna mixture and mix the whole thing with your hand. Taste for salt.
5. Make five to six balls and pat them to a flat patty, roll in breadcrumbs and shallow fry, fry the outer crust becomes dark brown. This takes about 5 - 7 minutes on a medium flame.

Notes:

• I used oil from the tuna tin to fry the initial onion mixture. If I use two tins of fish I use the oil from the second tin to shallow fry the cutlets.
• You may add chopped corriander leaves once the mixture has cooled down. This adds an excellent flavor to the cutlets.