Tuna Fish Chops

The term” chop” is very uniquely Bengali (leftover from the British Raj) and refers to deep fried croquets. It is a very interesting combination of cooking methods where the very Hindu/North Indian flavor of crushed ginger and green chili common in vegeteraian dishes is married with the Muslim touch of raisins and onions, the Bengali touch of sweet and hot and cilantro with fish, and the English custom of breading and frying.

ingredients

2 cans of canned [in water] chunk light tuna
1 cup onion, minced fine
1-2 tsp root ginger, minced fine
2-4 thai green chilies, minced fine
1/2 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
Garam masala powder [cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, lightly roasted and ground fine] and roasted, ground cumin seed powder)
Cayenne pepper to taste
Dry, unflavored breadcrumbs
A few raisins (optional)
Fresh cilantro
Boiled Mashed Potatoes
Lightly beaten egg

directions

1
Drain the tuna using paper towels.
2
Over moderately high flame, in a non-stick pan [heavy bottomed, with cover],heat the oil and sauté the minced onions until translucent, limp and have surrendered a fair amount of their moisture.
3
Add minced ginger and chilies, stir till fragrant, a couple of minutes. Add the drained tuna fish.
4
Add turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and sugar stir until moisture exudes and the mass smells fragrant.
5
With a light hand, season with powdered garam masala and roasted cumin. Add a little chopped cilantro.
6
Let cool until the filling can be handled.
7
Mix the fish filling with 2 large pptatos boiled and mashed. Knead to have a uniform consistency but don’t worry about some smaller lumps.
8
Form the fish potato mixture into oblong shapes. Dip each into the lightly beaten egg mixture, coat with breadcrumb and deep fry till golden brown.
9
Serve hot with favorite ketchup or other sauce.