FOOD TALK: Aloo chop with a difference

Every year, when the Durga Puja season arrives, we are bewildered by the mouth-watering temptations at different pandals. Pujo is celebrated with great gusto in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam, and also wherever the probasi Bengalis are domiciled. There is intense competition among various stalls, not only in the matter of stage decorations, but also in the realm of snacks and small eats on offer. One moves from one pandal to another, feasting the eyes and pleasing the palate at the same time. At the end of the day, one has overeaten recklessly and is troubled by pangs of guilt; but who cares? As soon as the feasting festivities are over, notes are exchanged and grades awarded.

What has intrigued us from childhood and continues to confuse us is the jostling between cutlets and chops. Cutlet obviously belongs to the Anglo-Indian repertoire, named after a tempting cut of meat. It may be shaped like a hamburger patty, or less often like a croquet. It is crusted with breadcrumbs and can be meaty, fishy or totally vegetarian. One recipe uses banana flowers, and is aptly called mocha cutlet. The other, no less popular, is kobiraji cutlet, for generations a very popular street food. According to foodlore, the local vaids incorporated certain spices that enhanced the therapeutic and aesthetic properties of the firangi cutlet.

The chop is a different kettle of fish. It looks like a jumbo aloo ki tikki and is pan-grilled, covered not always with breadcrumbs but at times with suji or posto (khus-khus). Aloo chop also comes in a delectable non-vegetarian avatar where the potato mash only provides the envelope, inside which resides the spicy mince (or a well-flattened mutton chop, already grilled). It is served ceremonially with a bone sticking out, carefully culled from a three-boned chaamp.

Truth be told, we are very partial to the mince-stuffed aloo chop, combined with kasundi, the Bengali mustard sauce, stirred up with spicy ‘Chinese’ sweet-chilli sauce that has no connection with mainland or island China.

We have often wondered why creative Bengali chefs have stopped innovating and improvising with the aloo chop. At long last, our wait ended when we encountered the aloo chop with a difference. This was a niramish recipe, with the exterior draped with a thin layer of ramdana (amaranths) and the potatoes within had the consistency of a creamy paste. They matched the creaminess of the herbed potatoes that the French take pride in. Our tickled tongue could spot for a fleeting moment the hint of cheese, a bit of garlic, some black peppercorns, and was it ginger? The surprises did not end here. The core of the chop consisted of sweet green peas and even sweeter corn kernels. Maybe, there was a raisin also lurking somewhere.

The chop was paired with green chutney and sonth chutney that normally accompany chaat. It came as close to perfection as is possible.

We have great pleasure in sharing the recipe with our readers. You can’t go wrong with it. The only trouble you have to put in is to process the boiled potatoes patiently with loving, tender care to get the right smooth consistency.

Ingredients

Potatoes (boiled, peeled and 300 gm

mashed well)

Butter (softened at room temperature 50 gm

and broken into small bits)

Clotted/double cream ½ cup

Cheese spread 100 ml

Milk (optional) 2 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp

Black peppercorns (coarsely pounded) 1 tsp

Fresh green coriander (chopped fine) 2 tbsp

Fresh mint leaves (chopped fine) 1 tbsp

Green chilli (chopped very fine) 1 or 2

Sweet green peas (fresh not frozen) ¼ cup

Sweet corn kernels ¼ cup

Raisins (heaped) 1 tbsp

Ramdana 1/3 cup

Salt To taste

Ghee To pan grill

Method

• Place potato mash in a bowl. Add the butter, clotted cream and cheese spread, along with garlic-ginger paste, coriander, mint, green chilli and salt.
• Blend well with a fork, whisk or a handheld mixer. Add a little milk also. Blend well and keep aside.
• Lightly steam the peas and corn kernels.
• Carefully shape the potato mixture into balls, making a hollow in the middle and filling it with a portion of peas, corns and a raisin. Roll back carefully the very soft balls. Place on a flat tray spread with ramdana. Press gently with a flat spatula to coat evenly on both sides.
• Melt ghee in a pan and grill carefully to cook evenly on both sides.

— The writer is a food historian