Anglo-Indian Crab (Cod) Cakes with Spicy Tomato Chutney

Atul Kochhar is a hugely successful Indian chef here in the UK. I'll be having the pleasure of attending an advanced masterclass with him in London in September as sort of a birthday present to myself. But I digress...

I have never made a recipe of his that wasn't spectacular. This was no exception. I had to modify slightly, as the grocers was out of crabmeat, to I went with cod which I sliced, then chopped up into smallish pieces.

Lovely Indian flavors coming out here and the chutney was exceptional and super easy. This would serve 6 as a starter (1 cake per person) or serve two for a main course for dinner.

Anglo-Indian Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
300 g fresh crab meat (a mixture of brown and white)
100 g baked potato flesh, grated
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
3 tablespoons plain flour, mixed with 3 tablespoons of water to make a thin batter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying
SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY, to serve

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the cumin seeds and saute over a medium heat until they crackle. Add the green chilli and garlic and saute until the garlic turns light brown. Add the onion and saute until translucent, then add the chopped peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the desiccated coconut, chilli powder and turmeric, followed by the crab meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the grated potato. Mix well, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped coriander. Spread the mixture out on a baking tray and leave to cool.

Divide it into 12 pieces and shape them into round patties. Put the flour and water batter in one bowl, the eggs in another and the breadcrumbs in a third. Dip the patties briefly in the batter, then in the egg and finally in the brcadcrumbs. (Dipping the patties in a batter first gives a better finish than dry flour but can make the cakes tricky to handle; if you find lhey start to break up when you dip them in the batter, you could switch to dry flour instead.)

Shape the cakes between your palms to ensure the crumbs adhere well, then leave them to rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the oil to 150C in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep saucepan. Deep-fry the crab cakes, in several batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the chutney.

Spicy Tomato Chutney

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 dried red chilli
1 kg tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon GARAM MASALA
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
250 g brown sugar or palm sugar
250 ml white wine vinegar or white vinegar
sea salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the cumin, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon and red chilli and saute for 1-2 minutes, until the spices splutter. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the ground spices, ginger and some salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the chutney is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Keep in the fridge for up to a week, or store in sealed sterilized jars and consume within 2 months.