Soft sweet potato, warming cumin and ginger, with peanuts for bite and a crisp breadcrumb coating. These oval chops are a familiar, contemporary take on Bengali vegetable chops; serve them warm with kasundi.
In Bengal, chop often refers to a savoury, breaded snack or vegetable patty; the ingredients and preparation vary from recipe to recipe. This sweet potato version is deliberately an inspired variation, not an established regional classic. The sweet, soft base is balanced by ginger, green chilli and cumin. Chopped peanuts add little crunchy pieces to the filling, while the breadcrumbs form a thin, golden-brown crust.
Steaming is more practical than boiling here: the sweet potato absorbs less water and the mash stays firm enough to shape. Let the cubes dry off briefly after steaming and mash them coarsely, not until completely smooth. The filling can still have some texture. If the potato is very moist, let the mash cool for a few minutes in a wide bowl first; warm, wet mash is harder to shape.
Cumin seeds are briefly heated in oil to release their aroma, then the ginger and chilli are fried for a short time. Toast the chickpea flour briefly in a dry pan too, before mixing it into the mash. It absorbs some moisture and adds a light, nutty flavour. Use green chilli to taste, or leave it out for a milder chop. Don’t have chickpea flour on hand? An extra tablespoon of breadcrumbs in the filling can help, though the texture will be a little less nutty.
The flour-and-water paste is a simple way to make the breadcrumbs stick without egg. Keep the paste smooth and not too runny, and gently press the breadcrumbs all around. Fry the chops in a layer of oil over medium heat; oil that is too hot will brown the outside before the inside is properly heated through. Carefully turn them with a spatula once the underside is firm and golden brown.
Serve them straight away with sharp, mustardy kasundi or spicy tomato chutney. The tangy, spicy sauce cuts nicely through the sweet filling; a wedge of lime makes that contrast even fresher. For a starter, two chops per person is a suitable portion. You can store any cooked leftovers covered in the fridge and eat them within two days; reheat them in an oven at 200 °C until piping hot throughout and the crust is crisp again.
Steam the sweet potato cubes in a steamer basket for 15–18 minutes, until tender. Test with a knife; the cubes should be soft. Let them dry off for a few minutes, then roughly mash them in a large bowl.
Toast the chickpea flour in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, until it smells lightly nutty. Transfer it out of the pan.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add the cumin seeds and fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the ginger and chilli and fry for another 30 seconds.
Mix the spiced oil, toasted chickpea flour, chopped peanuts and salt into the sweet potato. With damp hands, shape the mixture into eight oval croquettes.
In a shallow dish, stir the flour and water into a smooth paste. Put the breadcrumbs in a second dish. Dip each croquette into the paste, then press it into the breadcrumbs all over.
Heat the 200 ml of oil in a large frying pan to a depth of about 1 cm. Fry the chops in batches over medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve warm with kasundi and lime wedges.
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