Every hye mama has her version of beef cutlets. They’re always some mix of beef, onions, spices, and herbs, give or take a few extras, formed into oblong, hand-sized patties then pan fried. I grew up eating mom’s version, which are heavily spiced in the Lebanese fashion with the likes of cumin, allspice, garlic, and paprika, and loads of parsley 😮💨. This particular version is pretty different and closer to the Persian-Armenian way of making cutlets, which I picked up from my mother-in-law. As seems to be the case in many Armenian households, this is the kind that got assimilated into our regular meal rotation since getting married–something about keeping the husband happy by catering to his familiar tastes, I suppose.
It’s a very simple recipe that bulks up ground beef with some grated potatoes for filler, and grated onions, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper for flavor. Then throw in one egg as a binder to get that meat mixture nicely combined. So far, it’s all a pretty basic and familiar concept overall; nothing too special. The next bit is the kicker that sets this recipe apart from my previous understanding of cutlet. Once the meat mix is formed into oval patty shapes, it’s coated in a layer of breadcrumbs before being pan fried. Every cutlet ends up with a crispy, crumby crust that has great textural contrast to the otherwise mouth-tender beef. It essentially tastes like a koobideh/luleh kabob with a satisfying bit of crunch; perhaps even a tiny bit of hash browns.. hmm 🤔
Our favorite way to enjoy these cutlets is to wrap them in fresh lavash with ketchup, assorted fresh greens like parsley, cilantro, purple basil, green onions, tarragon, etc., turshi (various pickled vegetables). A pot of rice, plain Armenian yogurt, and Shirazi salad usually make up the rest of the tablescape whenever cutlets are made. They’re meaty/beefy, tasty, satisfying and super easy to make–a dream recipe.
