Cauliflower and Ground Chicken/Beef Patty (Low Carb Appetizer)

I have recently decided to switch to a low carb diet. Trying to reduce the carbs in my diet was very hard. I could not just reduce it slowly. So I decided to just give up my rice and chapatis and replace them with veggies.

I used to enjoy a very special appetizer which I have not seen in any restaurant – Batata Champ. It was a potato and keema (ground chicken or beef) patty. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Unfortunately, potatoes are high carbs. Therefore I changed the recipe to use cauliflower instead of potato. I do add cilantro and serrano peppers to the patty to add flavor to the cauliflower. I am sure the keto fans will love this recipe. It is a dish you cook to impress someone special in your life and it is really worth it. 🙂

Ingredients for the patty:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs cauliflower rice or grated cauliflower
• 3/4 cup almond flower (you can use bread crumbs instead)
• 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground serrano peppers

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1/2 lb ground chicken or beef
• 1/4 medium onion finely chopped
• 3 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 1 tsp ground green chilies ( serrano peppers)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp gharam masala ( you can skip gharam masala if you want it mild.
• 2 eggs
• some oil to fry the patties.

Recipe

Part 1 – The Patty

Grind the cilantro in a blender with little water. Warm up the oil in a pan. add the cauliflower. Saute it for a minute. Then add all the ingredients except the almond flour/bread crumbs and eggs. Cook on slow till cauliflower is tender. Let it cool down. Mash the cauliflower. Add enough flour to it to make it into a dough. Set it aside.

Part 2 – The Filling

Warm up 2 Tbsp oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onions. Saute for couple minutes and add ground chicken. Then add all the spices. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and let it cook on slow for about 15 minutes, making sure all the water has dried. Add the chopped cilantro. Mix well. Let it cool down.

Part 3 – Putting it all together

Divide the cauliflower dough into 10 portions. Roll the dough into balls. Divide the filling into 10 parts, then divide each ball into 2 and flatten them. Use the almond flour when you flatten them so they do not stick to the surface. You can use a cutting board for this purpose. Put some filling on one flattened ball and cover it up with a second flattened ball till it is a patty which completely closes around the filling. Do the same with rest of the dough and filling.

Heat up some oil in a small saucepan. Beat up the eggs. Make sure the patties are all covered with almond flour or bread crumbs. Dip them in egg and fry them one at a time in a small saucepan. Yumm!!

For the Batata Champ purists, if you want to use potato you can make 3 patties with one lb of potato. Boil and mash the potatoes, add salt and pepper, and follow the same method.

Timing Saving Tip – A faster but equally delicious way of putting the patty together is to mix the cauliflower dough and ground chicken together, make a patty, dip in flour or bread crumbs and then dip it in egg and fry!