Parsi Fried Lamb Cutlets

So many of you have been celebrating Eid and cooking loads of recipes from the website this week! I have spent the last 2 weeks travelling for cookery events and rustling up dishes symbolic of this wonderful festival for clients. There has been lots of biryani, kebabs, kofta curries as well as paya and delicious desserts including barfi, phirni and my favourite seviyan. No meal for me is complete without a traditional Indian sweet. And in that respect we always began the meal with starters or snacks. So I have been making lamb cutlets with naan and a big batch for barfi for friends celebrating Eid, both of which are recipes that I have eaten at my home in India. This kheema cutlet recipe has always been a weekend favourite at our home in India. Sunny Sunday afternoons were always relaxed, leisurely and a day filled with a good Indian feast. The sizzling sound of the cutlets frying in the kitchen and aromas filled our home and hearts with delight, making lunch even more enticing. Some days it would be served alongside some dal and rice or even some pulao. It was also something mum would cook at dinner parties. The start of the parties was usually a few drinks with some vegetarian snacks, chicken dishes and these cutlets with pudina chutney or tomato ketchup. For me, served with a fresh spicy mint chutney, some crisp onion rings and naan or tandoori roti would also be perfect for dinner. It’s a really simple recipe to cook with so much flavour. A few things to bear in mind when making the cutlets; make sure to knead the minced lamb before you add all the ingredients as it becomes sticky and dries out slightly which helps with binding. Always opt for a really good quality garam masala if it is shop bought as this spice blend makes all the difference and adds so much flavour to the lamb cutlets. I use my own home ground blend which I have shared in my cookbook Indian Kitchen. It’s intense and add the right amount of warmth to the kheema.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet