MEAT CHOP with VEGETABLES

Ingredients

• 500 g Minced meat (Use lamb, beef, or any preferred minced meat)
• 500 g Green jack-fruit or cauliflower (or any other vegetable) (Equal in quantity to the minced meat; green jackfruit, cauliflower, or your choice of firm vegetable)
• 1 tablespoon Paste of ginger (Freshly ground or blended into a smooth paste)
• 2 tablespoons Paste of onions (Blend raw onion into a smooth paste)
• 1 teaspoon Paste of pepper (Grind black peppercorns with a little water into a paste)
• 1 teaspoon Paste of chillies (Grind fresh or dried chillies into a paste; adjust to your heat preference)
• 1 teaspoon Paste of garam masala (Mix ground garam masala with a little water to form a paste)
• 1 tablespoon Paste of almonds (Soak almonds briefly and blend into a smooth paste)
• 1 tablespoon Paste of raisins (Blend raisins with a small amount of water into a paste)
• 1 teaspoon Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons Ghee (for frying the meat mixture) (Used to fry the spiced minced meat)
• 4 tablespoons Water (A little water to help boil and cook the meat through)
• 2 whole Eggs (Stirred into the meat and vegetable mixture to bind it)
• 2 whole Beaten eggs (Beaten well in a shallow bowl for coating the cakes before frying)
• 1 cup Powdered biscuits (Crushed plain or cream crackers, spread on a plate for rolling)
• 1 cup Ghee (for final frying) (Use plenty of ghee so the cakes fry evenly and become golden and crisp)

Instructions

1. 1Cut your chosen vegetable — green jackfruit, cauliflower, or any firm vegetable — into rough pieces. Place them in a pot, cover with water, and boil until completely soft and tender (about 15–20 minutes). Drain thoroughly, then mash or blend into a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. 2In a wide, heavy-bottomed pan or kadai, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee over medium heat. Add the minced meat along with the pastes of ginger, onions, pepper, chillies, garam masala, almonds, and raisins, plus the salt. Stir everything together well so the spice pastes are fully incorporated into the meat. Fry the mixture, stirring frequently, until the meat starts to colour and the raw smell of the spices disappears, about 5–7 minutes.
3. 3Add a little water (about 4 tablespoons) to the pan. Stir, reduce the heat slightly, and allow the meat to cook through in the steam. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated and the pan looks dry again, about 5–8 minutes.
4. 4Once the water has dried up, add the vegetable paste you prepared in step 1, along with the whole eggs (not the beaten eggs — those are for coating later). Stir everything together thoroughly so the vegetable paste and eggs are evenly combined with the meat mixture.
5. 5Continue to stir the mixture constantly over medium-low heat. Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture comes together as a stiff, dry paste that pulls away from the sides of the pan and holds its shape. This may take another 5–8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool enough to handle safely.
6. 6Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, divide it into equal portions. Using your hands, shape each portion into a smooth oval cake (like a flat, elongated patty). Place the shaped cakes on a clean plate or tray as you work.
7. 7Set up your coating station: pour the beaten eggs into a shallow bowl and spread the powdered biscuits on a flat plate. One at a time, dip each oval cake into the beaten egg, letting any excess drip off, then roll it in the powdered biscuits until evenly coated on all sides. In a wide frying pan, heat a generous amount of ghee over medium-high heat — there should be enough ghee to come at least halfway up the sides of the cakes. When the ghee is hot, carefully lower in the coated cakes in batches. Fry until deeply golden and crisp on each side, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly before serving.