French Chops

In my previous article on French Paratha, we talked about reusing the Pur (stuffing) to prepare French chops. For those who have not been able to read that article, let me tell you some major pointers:

• French Paratha is a stuffed fried bread prepared by Debarshi.
• The stuffing is a Potato and Chicken mash with Indian spices.
• The Paratha is a very good brunch option for the entire family.

Now, if you already have some Pur left then you can proceed to the directions. For those who are trying this the first time, you will need the following ingredients and the directions to prepare the Pur. 

Ingredients:

• Potato – 1 pound (about 1 big Russet Potato), washed, boiled and mashed
• Ground Chicken – 1 pound
• Red Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
• Green Chilies – 2-3, finely chopped
• Garlic – 5 -6, minced
• Ginger – 1 ½ inch, minced
• Oil – 4-5 tablespoon, plus 2-3 cups for deep frying the chops
• Cumin Powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
• Garam Masala – ½ teaspoon
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Salt - to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
• Meat Masala - 1 heaped teaspoon
• Amchur - 1 heaped teaspoon
• Cilantro – a handful (chopped)
• Egg – 1, lightly beaten
• Breadcrumbs – about 2 cups

Let’s prepare the Pur:

• Heat a wok over medium high heat.
• Add about 4-5 tablespoons of Oil in it.
• Add the Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Green Chili in the wok and fry them till they are golden brown in color. 
• Add the ground Chicken and mashed Potato in it and mix well.
• Fry the mixture for a while. When the Potato and Chicken are half done start adding the spices (Cumin Powder, Garam Masala, Red Chili Powder, Salt, Meat Masala, Amchur and Cilantro). Mix everything well and fry the whole mixture. The prepared Pur will look like this: 

Let’s prepare the Chops:

• Let the prepared Pur cool down a bit so that it is easier to handle.
• Mold small balls of the Pur. I always use my hands for this step. 
• Press it lightly to form a patty like shape and place it on a plate. Follow the same step for all the balls.
• Keep an oven safe dish on the kitchen counter near the gas oven and line it with a paper towel.
• Keep the Egg (in a small bowl) and the Breadcrumbs (in a shallow plate).
• Dip the patty in the Egg and let the extra drip off.
• Lay it in the Breadcrumbs and scoop some over to cover the top. Gently press the patty on the crumbs so that it is covered on all the sides. Then set it on a plate. Repeat these steps for all the patties.
• We are now ready to fry the Chops.

Directions for frying the Chops:

• Heat a wok on medium high heat (You can also use a deep fryer).
• When the oil is hot enough to fry, carefully start adding the patties in the oil. Do not place too many patties in the oil all at once as the temperature of the oil will drop and the patties will become greasy.
• Fry for a minute or two per side till both the sides are brownish red in color.
• Carefully remove with a spider spoon and place in the dish.
• Serve with some Dhania Chutney and hot Tea.

Recommend reading: 

• Make Cumin Powder at Home
• How to Deep-Fry food with Confidence 
• How to check if the Oil is hot enough to fry
• Garam Masala
• Meat Masala
• Dhania Chutney
• French Paratha
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Picnic at Smithville Lake, Missouri
• Chicken Alu Cutlets (Crispy Chicken and Potato Patties)
• Methi Pakora (Gram flour and Fenugreek leaves Fritters)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• Jalapeno Poppers with Cream Cheese and Bacon
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Egg Devil (Bengali recipe of Croquettes with egg and minced meat/ Indian Scotch Eggs)
• Bread Pakora (Deep fried Bread Fritters with Potato filling)
• Vegetable Cutlets
• Bread Pakora with Soa Alu (Deep fried Bread Fritters with Dill and Potato filling)
• Paneer Pakore (Fresh Cheese Fritters)