Chicken Cutlets and Ghugni (yellow pea curry) are popular street foods in Calcutta, India, where I grew up. Chicken cutlets are delicious ground chicken patties seasoned with ginger, lime, and cilantro, while Ghugni is a yellow pea soup/curry with a mixed mix of warming spices topped with raw onions and lime juice. Traditionally, we would eat ghugni with luchi, which is fried dough, but we can’t serve it as it hardens extremely fast. I have served these delicious chicken patties to friends and at our neighborhood monthly dinners, and people keep asking for more. This dish will be served with parathas (Indian flatbread), a side salad of cucumbers, tomato, onions, and Bengali mustard. The chicken cutlets are very kid-friendly.

Note: The picture does not include an image for ghugni and parathas.

Ingredients:  Chicken Cutlet: Ground chicken dark meat, ginger, garlic, cilantro, red onion, white vinegar, lemons juice, green chillis, salt, pepper, eggs, breadcrumbs. I Salad: Onion, tomato, cucumber, mustard.I Ghugni: yellow peas (Legumes), potato, tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander, cumin, coconut, sugar, mustard oil ghee. Raw onions as topping. I Paratha: Flour, water, salt, canola oil.

Arepas are cornmeal cakes that originated hundreds of years ago in a region that now makes up Colombia, Venezuela, and Panama. Arepas are hand-made individually with corn meal, water, salt, and a smidge of butter. They are toasted on a skillet and finished in the oven. This dish has two Arepas - one comes with Burrata cheese (Venezuelans have it with Venezuelan cheese such as Queso Guayanés but Burrata has a similar texture and flavor, which makes it a great substitute), and the other comes with Carne Mechada (shredded beef seasoned in tomatoes, bell peppers and spices). The two arepas will be served with palmito (palm hearts) salad.

Ingredients: Arepa Corn flour, water, kosher salt, and canola oil. I Filling: Burrata Cheese (Similar to Venezuelan Queso de mano), Shredded flank steak, beef broth,onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. I Palmito Salad: Palm hearts, spring mix leaves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, cherry tomatoes, and salt.