Kolkata street snack at its best ' Mocha'r Chop or Banana flower cutlets '
- The Hungry Boy
- May 2, 2021
- 3 min read
Hello everyone - hope all of you are well , staying safe and staying at home . With all the gloom going around at the moment , experimenting with food , revisiting memories and creating content for the hungry boy kitchen seems to be my one and only solace . Today , I share with you a quintessential & most revered Bengali appetizer made with banana blossom. This cutlet , colloquially known as the Mocha'r Chop, is a very popular street snack in the city of Kolkata , to the extent that it transforms some of its most ubiquitous alleys into lively food action spots . Fried to perfection ,this hot croquette flies off the shelf in a matter of minutes to claim its much deserved repertoire of goodness .
In my earlier two recipes using the banana blossom , I have elaborated the entire preparation of the blossom for you . While it may seem a little intimidating to start with , it is actually no big deal once you have committed to it. Also , once you are done dressing the blossom , you can parboil it and store in an airtight container for up to a week & use it to make various delicacy dishes .
Today , let's focus on this appetizer version.
Things you will need
01 cup of parboiled banana flower/mocha
01 large potato , boiled and mashed
01 tbsp. ginger , finely chopped
Handful of roasted peanuts , roughly chopped
Handful of raisins
01 tbsp flour to dust
01 cup of good quality breadcrumbs
Oil , enough for deep frying
01 tbsp. of bhaja moshla ( Dry roast 01 long piece of cinnamon , 3 cloves , 2 cardamom, 01 bay leaf , 1 red chilli , 2 tsp of cumin seeds & grind to a fine powder )
Salt and sugar , to taste
For the batter :
2 tbsp. Bengal gram flour or besan
2 tbsp. rice powder
2 tbsp. water
Pinch of salt to taste
Steps to follow
In a large plate , mash the parboiled banana flower along with potato , keep aside.
In a pan , heat 2 tablespoons of oil . Once hot , sauté the peanuts and raisins lightly.
Next , add in the grated ginger and sauté for 2 seconds.
To this , add in the mashed banana flower - potato mix along with the ' Bhaja moshla' salt & sugar . Keep mixing everything together until the mixture dries up completely ( Approximately 05 - 10 minutes on low flame )
Once done , spread the mix on a plate and let it cool down completely.
Combine the 'Batter' ingredients in a bowl and make a smooth thick batter .
In another plate , mix the bread crumbs & the flour and keep ready .
To shape the chops , apply some oil or water in your palm and mould them into cylinders . Next , take each chop , dip it in the batter and coat it with the bread crumb - flour mix . Sit the breaded chops in the fridge for 30 minutes till firm.
Heat oil and deep fry the chops on low heat , till nice and golden brown.
To serve , sprinkle chat masala & serve along with some pungent kashundi and cucumber onion salad on the side.
Enjoy...
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