Vegetable Chop/Beetroot Croquette

Vegetable chop or Beetroot Croquette is one of the drool worthy popular street foods of West Bengal. Grated beetroot, carrots are cooked with peanuts, then boiled potatoes added just to bind, spiced with special bhaja moshla aka Bengali style roasted and grounded spices, shaped into sphere or cylinder, dipped in a thin batter and rolled in the bread crumbs. Finally they are deep fried for irresistible taste. It is very vegan and satvic (meaning no onion and garlic are used). However julienne red onion and cucumber are the best accompaniments. It was our evening snack often with a bowl of moori (puffed rice) and tea. Sometimes in winter months my mother would make vegetable chop when beets and carrots were in abundance. 

Vegetable chop and all other Bengali type croquette are famously known as "telebhaja" meaning deep fried in oil. Vegetable chop is one of the most lip smacking one. It never uses any other veggies than beetroot,carrot and potato. Some uses green peas and raisins. Our local street vendors still make vegetable chop using ingredients I mention below. There is no need for exotic spices at all. It would change the taste and flavor. I have been making this chop almost three decades and never changed anything. For  gluten free coating  I would use gluten free slurry and crumbs. 

Ingredients~

(US customary units)

2 cups. shredded beetroot

1/2 cup shredded carrots 

1/2 cup boiled and roughly mashed potato 

1/2 cup raw peanuts 

1 tsp ginger paste

2 chopped Thai chilies

1/4 cup oil 

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp each of dry roasted and grounded cumin seeds and coriander seeds

1/4 tsp black salt

For coating~

1/2 cup flour 

1/4 cup water 

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

2 cups oil for frying

Method~

Heat oil in a medium pan on medium flame. Roast peanuts until golden brown and set aside. In the same oil add ginger paste and saute for 30 seconds and immediately add shredded beet, carrots, chilies followed by roasted peanuts and salt. Stir well to combine. Cover and let it cook until soft but not mushy. Add mashed potatoes and ground spices. Let it cool for ten minutes to shape as you like.

Mix flour slurry with water in a bowl and place breadcrumb in another bowl. Dip the croquettes in slurry  with one hand followed by bread crumbs using another hand. Let them firm up in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then deep fry them until light golden brown. Sprinkle with little black salt. Let it cool for 10 minutes and serve as is with onion and cucumber or puffed rice.