Sasmita a popular Odia street food having crispy outer layer prepared with beetroot, carrot, potato, and peanut.
Perfect for an evening snack to pair with ketchup or kasundi or simply with a hot cup of chai.
With heavy thunderstorms to light showers, the Monsoon in India has finally arrived. And particularly, Monsoons in India mean endless chai time with snacks to relish with family and friends. From pakodas, vegetable chops to samosas with green chutney, roasted bhutta rubbed with lemon, etc., the list is endless actually. Hence the kitchen is always buzzing with energy and flame as our hunger and craving for snacks only increase. The most exciting thing is during this time period is to ‘sit beside a window with a bowl of hot, crispy snacks accompanied with a cup of tea/coffee to enjoy the rainy day’. Don’t you agree!
Check some simple and easy to make snack idea from this blog :
- Mexican Corn Fritters (VEGAN)
- Piaji | Chana Dal Fritters in Odia style
- Masoor Dal Pakoda | Red Lentil Fritter (VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE)
- Uddina Vada | Medu Vada
- Poha Chivda / Mixture
- Misal Pav
- Masala Toast Sandwich – Mumbai Street Style Snack
Vegetable Chop!
Well, Chop looks like cutlet or croquette and is common street food in Odisha, Bengal, although both states have a different touch to the chop. There are different varieties of chop as prepared with different types of vegetables like aloo chop, vegetable chop, and many more. And also nonvegetarian chop like fish chop, egg chop, mutton chop, chicken chop, etc are just to name a few.
Here I am going to share the Vegetable chop of Odisha. In these chops, beetroot, carrot, and potato are basically used. They have a slightly sweet taste due to the addition of beetroot, carrot. These are addictive and no one can just eat one which I can assure ;). Although look like a veg cutlet, but these chops are totally different in taste. The peanuts give a nice crunch here. The taste of these chops is a little sweet but flavourful and soft from the inside whereas crisp from the outside.
If you are not a big fan of the root vegetable, Beetroot like me then I am sure you will not stop at only one piece of vegetable chop.
What are the differences between Veg chop of Odisha and Bengal ?
- The vegetable mixture is flavored with a special masala powder, bhaja masala in Bengali style whereas in Odisha, the chopped/mashed vegetables are cooked in onion, ginger-garlic, and flavored with some regular masala powder.
- Bengali style veg chops use breadcrumbs as coating whereas semolina (sooji) is used in odia style chop.
How one can make these vegetable chops?
First heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok over low-medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow to splutter. Then add chopped onions and saute till translucent. Add crushed ginger and garlic, saute for a bit.
After that add all the spice powders, grated beetroot and carrot, roasted peanuts. Mix everything well and sprinkle little amount of water. Give a mix again and cover the pan. When the carrot and beetroot seem little soft, add boiled and mashed potatoes along with salt. Mix till everything incorporated well. Turn off heat and allow the mixture cool down completely.
Meanwhile, make a slurry of cornflour with 4-5 tbsp of water. Keep aside. Also start heating oil in another kadhai/wok for deep frying.
When the mixture comes to room temperature, simply grease the palms and take 2-3 tbsp of mixture, shapes like oblong or oval. Keep in a plate, similarly make some more shapes. Also, spread the semolina on a plate and keep it aside.
Now take one oval shape, dip in the slurry and then roll over the semolina (sooji) till well coated. Keep aside in a plate and similarly prepare with the rest oval shapes.
Finally deep fry in batches till crisp from all the sides and light golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with tissue paper and deep fry others.
Can these chops be prepared ahead of time?
Yes, these can be. After coating by the semolina, just keep in a flat air-tight container keeping space in between, and store in the freezer for up to 2-3 days. Just before frying, take out the chops from the freezer and deep fry in oil without thawing.
Serving suggestion –
The vegetable chop tastes best when hot. So after deep frying, immediately serve to enjoy those outer crispness. During monsoon specially these are an ideal evening snack to be served hot with ketchup or kasundi or just with a cup of tea.
Being loaded with vegetables these can be a great after-school snack for kids, just avoid the addition of green chili and chili powder. Also as a party starter or appetizer, the vegetable chop fits perfectly.
So these vegetable chops are
- vegan
- easy to make
- perfect monsoon snack
- loaded with vegetables
- Vegetarian party appetizer
What else is needed then, Do make soon these Odisha style Vegetable Chop to enjoy during this rainy season.
Vegetable Chop
Ingredients
- 3 no. Potato (boiled)
- ½ cup Carrot (grated)
- ½ cup Beetroot (grated)
- ¼ cup Onion (finely chopped)
- ½ tsp Ginger (crushed)
- ½ tsp Garlic (crushed)
- 2-3 no. Green chili (chopped)
- 3 tbsp Peanut (roasted)
- 1 pinch Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala powder
- ¼ tsp Cumin seed
- ¼ tsp Mustard seed
- Semolina for coating
- 2 tbsp Corn flour
- Salt as needed
- 4-5 tbsp Water
- 1 tbsp Oil + for deep frying
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai / wok over low-medium heat.
- Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allow to splutter.
- Then add chopped onions and saute till translucent.
- Add crused ginger and garlic, saute for a bit.
- After that add all the spice powders, grated beetroot and carrot, roasted peanuts.
- Mix everything well and sprinkle little amount of water.
- Give a mix again and cover the pan.
- When the carrot and beetroot seem little soft, add boiled and mashed potatoes along with salt.
- Mix till everything incorporated well.
- Turn off heat and allow the mixture cool down completely.
- Meanwhile make a slurry of corn flour with 4-5 tbsp of water. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in another kadhai / wok for deep frying.
- When the mixture comes to room temperature, simply grease the palms and take 2-3 tbsp of mixture, shape like oblong or oval.
- Keep in a plate, similarly make some more shapes.
- Also spread the semolina in a plate and keep aside.
- Now take one oval shape, dip in the slurry and then roll over the semolina (sooji) till well coated.
- Keep aside in a plate and similarly prepare with the rest oval shapes.
- Finally deep fry in batches till crisp from all the sides and light golden brown.
- Transfer to a plate lined with tissue paper and deep fry others.
- Serve hot with kasundi or ketchup or with a cup of tea !
Notes
- Adjust the spiciness as desired.
- Here there is no binding in the masala mixture, still, the chops are fried pretty well without any break.
- Make sure the masala mixture must be cooled down to room temperature before shaping.
- One can add some besan/breadcrumbs as a binding agent to the mixture. If adding besan as a binder, then just fry in a pan over medium heat till a nice aroma comes out. Else there will be a raw taste of besan in the fried chop.
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We love vegetable chop and yours look picture perfect! A soulful tea time treat to enjoy with family and friends.