Deep-fried Peas & Potato Koraishutir Chops

If you’ve ever eaten a peas chop from a roadside shop in Kolkata, no matter how famed or nameless, you’ll know the insides are rather paste-like. Peas are pureed in an electric ‘mixie’ (that have replaced the upper body work out that is the traditional sil-nora), then slow cooked in a massive kora with ginger, garlic and spices, and stuffed inside potato casings, breaded and, finally, deep fried to the point of no return. Cut one in half and its glorious green stares back at you. Sharmistha Chaudhuri explains why Koraishutir or peas chops hold a special place in Bengali’s culinary repertoire. Read more.

Recipe: Koraishutir Chop 

Ingredients
500 g freshly-boiled peas
1 kg chopped onions
1 chopped medium sized tomato
750 g boiled potatoes
2 chopped green chillies
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 dried red chilli
2-4 tablespoons cumin seeds
1-2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1-2 tablespoon whole garam masala
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
Oil for cooking and deep frying 

Method
Dry roast the dried spices till fragrant. Then grind them
Slow cook the chopped onions until they are caramelised to a reddish-brown colour
Add the chopped tomato and continue slow cooking until mushy
Squish a handful of the boiled peas. Add that and the remaining whole peas into the caramelised mixture and keep cooking till the consistency is somewhat mushy-fried. Or as my mother calls it, “koshe bhaja”
Add the ground spices, mix well and let the mixture cool
Mash the boiled potatoes, add green chillies, salt and butter and divide into equal sized balls
Pat each potato ball on the palm of your hand to flatten, add a tablespoon  of the pea mixture, close it up and form an oblong shape. (The amount of stuffing can vary on the size of the chop but remember there should be no empty space inside)
Whisk the eggs in a container and lay out the breadcrumbs in another
Dip each stuffed chop in the egg mixture, and then coat with breadcrumbs
In a medium hot kora, start to fry the chops in batches till deep brown in colour
Serve with a pot of hot Darjeeling tea

Sharmistha Chaudhuri is a writer from India and currently based in Austin, Texas. You can read more of her work on her website and her Instagram page.

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