• 2 russet or sebago potatoes, peeled
• 2 cups mixed chopped vegetables of your choice, including corn, broccoli, carrot, peas
• a pinch of salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons crushed cashews
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Indian green chillies, chopped
• 2.5 cm (1 inch) knob of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed into a paste
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ bunch coriander (cilantro), chopped
• approximately 110 g (3¾ oz/1 cup) dry breadcrumbs, for crumbing
• 1 egg
• 35 g (1¼ oz/¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
• a pinch of Chaat masala, for sprinkling (optional)
• Tamarind chutney or a sambal of your choice, to serve

Add the whole potatoes to a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and leave to cool, then grate and set aside.

Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, bring 750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) water to the boil. Add the mixed vegetables and a pinch of salt and boil for 4–5 minutes. Strain and set aside. Once cooled, squeeze the water from the vegetables, then coarsely mash them, without making a paste of them.

Heat the rice bran oil in a frying pan until it starts to smoke. Add the cumin seeds and crushed cashews and cook over medium heat for a few seconds. Stir in the chilli powder and garam masala, then add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

Add the green chilli, ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for another few seconds. Now add the mashed vegetables (except the grated potato) and cook, stirring, for another minute or two, until the moisture evaporates.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the grated potato and mix together. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped coriander and season to taste with salt, mixing well. If the mixture is still a bit wet, add some breadcrumbs to firm it up.

Spread the remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Beat the egg with the flour and 2 teaspoons water.

Take a large tablespoonful of the vegetable mixture and press it together into a ‘cutlet’ of your desired shape. Dip the cutlet in the egg wash and immediately coat it with breadcrumbs. Continue in the same way until all the cutlets are crumbed; you may need a little more egg mixture and crumbs.

Pour about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of vegetable oil into a deep-sided frying pan and heat to 170°C (325°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns brown in 20 seconds.

Carefully add a few cutlets to the hot oil and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and keep warm while cooking the remaining cutlets.

If you have the taste for chaat masala, sprinkle some on before serving. The cutlets are best enjoyed hot, but are also delicious as a cold snack. Enjoy with a chutney or sambal of your choice.