Begedils are a Malay style potato patty typically made with beef as a filling - you can also use minced chicken or lamb like I have here. Begedils are normally eaten as a side, and is lovingly and painstakingly made by hand and then deep fried carefully to keep its shape. I have fond memories of helping my grandma and mom roll these (out-of-shape) for family dinners and am sharing the recipe here to keep these traditions alive.
This is not the healthiest of side dishes due to the deep frying method but I suppose it can be made healthier if you use an airfryer (I unfortunately do not have one!) You can also substitute meats for tuna to make fish cutlets!
Recipe makes a generous portion of potatoes. I ended up with about xx
INGREDIENTS
4-5 small/medium potatoes
250g minced lamb (or a pack of frozen lamb)
1/2 cup fried shallots
1/2 cup Chinese celery
3-4 red chilis, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 egg
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Peel, chop and boil potatoes until cooked. Chopping your potatoes will help it cook faster.
2. Drain well and make sure the potatoes are dry before mashing. Wet potatoes will break apart when frying so make sure there is no water from boiling left in your potatoes. If too wet, add more fried shallots or squeeze out the water.
3. Roll potatoes into balls and set aside. You can make it as small or large as you want. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge uncooked for up to 3 days.
4. In a small bowl, crack 1 egg and thoroughly beat it to combine the yolk and egg white. Set aside. This will be your egg wash.
5. In a frying pan, heat up enough oil to cover the potatoes when cooked.
6. Dip potato in egg wash with a fork, and fry potatoes on medium heat. It is ready when the potatoes turn golden brown and crispy on the outside.
ALY'S COOKING TIPS
1. Make sure your cooked potatoes are not wet before you mash them up. Wet potatoes will break apart when deep frying and the end product will not be pretty (although still tasty!) I'd recommend leaving the cooked potatoes out in a colander to dry up before mashing up and adding all the other ingredients.
2. In that breath, also make sure there is no water from washing and chopping your Chinese parsley and chilis. Dry it before chopping and adding into the potato mixture. If your mixture is too wet, add more fried shallots to dry and balance it.
3. If you do not want any meats inside, feel free to omit. This can be completely vegetarian too!
4. Rolled too many potatoes? No worries - these babies can be kept in the fridge UNCOOKED for up to 3 days. Just egg wash and dry them up whenever you are ready.