norwegian cooking: Minty Jack fruit-Raw banana cutlets

Minty Jack fruit-Raw banana cutlets

Hi Friends.

Today I am posting an extremely tasty cutlet which is very rich in nutrients and is very healthy to eat. I made these cutlets for my elder one’s school practical. He was supposed to carry a dish suitable for the health requirements of an adolescent girl. As I have mentioned in raw Jackfruit Curry that jackfruit it is a very good digestive, rich in fibers.

The raw banana contain tryptophan, an amino acid that can be converted to serotonin, leading to improved mood. Bananas are relatively high in Iron, which helps the body's hemoglobin function. Due to their content in fiber, they help restore a normal bowel function. In addition, diarrhoea usually depletes your body of important electrolytes (of which the most important is potassium, contained in high amounts in bananas). They also contain pectin, a soluble fiber (hydrocolloid) that can help normalize movement through the digestive tract. It is a good source of vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates essential for growing children. Green bananas contain indigestible short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are very nutrient to the cells that make up the mucosa of the stomach. These cells, when healthy, absorb calcium much more efficiently.

(Source-http://bananasweb.com/bananas/Health+Benefits+of+Bananas)

Mint is rich in minerals essentially Iron which is very important to maintain good Hb in our body. It is also known for it’s ability to soothe the digestive tract and to reduce the intensity and length of stomach aches. It has good antifungal properties. It is even thought to have benefits ac an anticancer food. ( source-http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits-mint.htm )

In addition to these three main ingredients I had also added bengal gram/ Chana dal which provided the protein content. Protein as we all know is very important for cell growth and cell division. In growing children a high protein diet is therefore very essential as it’s peak time for them to gain height and body volume. The proteins are also important for healthy functioning of our nervous system.

The cutlet is extremely succulent and just melts in mouth. The blend of all the ingredients provides it a delectable taste that I am sure every one will like. One must ensure while making these cutlets that all ingredients are partly coarse and not completely ground to a paste, this ensures that you can taste the ingredients and it also adds to the softness of the cutlets. The binding agent is normally not required but if it’s required add bread crumbs just enough that the cutlets can be shaped and do not break apart while cooking. Adding extra crumbs will take away the succulence and softness of the cutlets.

I have shaped my cutlets into a heart shape, one can make any shape or just flatten to a round shape. These can be served with sauce or green chutney . For other variations you can stuff them inside the bread to make a more wholesome meal. One can make rolls using the same mixture, in that case make oblong cutlets and stuff them in a roti along with some chutney and grated veggies.

Ingredients

Makes about 25

250-300 gm raw jackfruit cubed (approx)

2 raw bananas peeled and cubed

1 cup soaked bengal gram/ chana dal

1-1/2 cups fresh mint leaves

1 onion chopped finely

4-5 tbsp cilantro

1 inch piece ginger

4-5 garlic pods

7-8 green chilies

2 tbsp lemon juice

4-5 tbsp bread crumbs (if required)

salt to taste

oil for shallow frying

Spices

2 tbsp Chaat masala

2 tbsp cumin pwd

3-4 tbsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp garam masala

Method

Drain out the water from the soaked bengal gram. Pressure cook the jackfruit, raw bananas and bengal gram together. Ensure that it gets steam cooked and no water enters the utensil in which all the three are kept (cover the utensil ). Two whistles in a pressure cooker are enough.

Cool it and put it in a food processor’s blender. Add all the other ingredients (except oil) and spices, mix and grind coarsely.

At this stage if you find that it has excessive moisture and can not be molded properly being excessively sticky, then only add the bread crumbs.
Take the mix in your palm and make cutlets. Shape them as per your liking.

Take a non stick pan and smear it with a tbsp of oil and shallow fry the cutlets 3-4 at a time. They have to be handled very delicately. Once one side is done and nicely golden brown turn the cutlets and shallow fry on the other side. These do not need much cooking as most of the ingredients used are already cooked.