One great recipe, two great dishes: Part two - Indian croquettes

I think this could become a bit of a rival in my foodie heart to the much loved tarka dhal, quelle surprise you might say, after all - they're covered in panko.

'Fusion cooking' over the last five years has earned a bit of a bad rep, owing partly to strange hybrid restaurant dishes created from ingredients native to a number of continents, thrown together in a 'creative' fashion (that often winds up messy and at odds with itself).

But for fusion's sometimes bad press, I think if done in the right way that it can really pay off. Oriental fusion I often like, but then many of the ingredients and flavours are shared anyway, so naturally they can lend themselves to one anothers style. It might not be good for purists, but for those greedy for lots of tastes and cultures it it can hit the mark.

Hopefully this dish doesn't teeter on the edge of 'wanky fusion' as I call it, after all, those little pankos are a great and flexible ingredient that I use to enhance everything from Indian to Italian foodie treats (check out the risotto balls recipe on the blog to see exactly what I mean).

These Indian croquettes are cheap, easy and quick to make, a nice alternative to potatoes with your evening meal, a different carb accompaniment with your favourite curry, or a different little starter for a dinner party - and with this last use in mind here I've paired them with a spicy and yogurt dip, its very refreshing and complements the croquette filling nicely.

For seven medium sized croquettes:
The leftover mash and pea mixture from the samosas
A bowl of panko breadcrumbs
A teaspoon fennel seeds
Sea salt and black pepper
200mls natural yogurt
One green chilli
A handful of fresh corriander
Juice of one lime
Plain flour for dusting, a few tablespoons in a bowl
Oil for frying (vegetable or groundnut)
One egg, whisked with a fork

Method:
- Break the mixture roughly into seven portions and put one of the portions in your hand
- Form it into a ball and then roll it gently into an oval, once this is done gently pinch both ends until they are 'pointy' - you're looking to create a shape that's a bit like a rugby ball. Repeat with all the mixture until you have seven croquettes
- In a food processor combine the yogurt, chilli, lime juice and corriander and blend until smooth, the mixture will be a light green and speckled, put it in the fridge to keep it cool
- Heat your frying oil in a deep frying pan (looking for a couple of inches deep in the bottom) on a medium to high heat for about 8 minutes as it gets to temperature
- Mix the fennel seeds into the panko along with a few good scrunches of salt and some black pepper
- Roll each quenelle in turn in the flour, then into the egg, then followed by the panko and fennel mixture, until all seven have been given the coating
- Place the quenelles a few at a time into the frying oil - not over crowding the pan otherwise they'll boil and become soggy.  Fry them in this mixture for around 6-8 minutes, turning them over in the oil so they become a deep golden brown all over
- Remove them carefully and place on kitchen paper to drain
- Serve with the spicy yogurt dip and a simple salad of grated carrot and cucumber with a lemon vinegarette, and add a handful of fresh chopped corriander to the top of them if you love the stuff like I do!