Description
There’s nothing like street food in India, but you can recreate the famed fried potato cakes, aloo tikki, filled with spices and paneer.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the tikki
- 3 potatoes (around 500 g)
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1-2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) poha (flattened rice flakes), soaked in 2-3 tbsp of water
For the filling
- 1 cup crumbled paneer
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tsp cashews, finely chopped
- 2 tsp raisins, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt)
- Salt, to taste (around 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tsp oil
- Oil, for deep frying
To serve
- Yogurt, to taste
- Cilantro mint chutney, to taste
- Tamarind sweet chutney, to taste
- Chaat masala, to sprinkle
- Red chili powder, to sprinkle
- Chopped onion, to garnish
- Chopped cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the poha and 2–3 tbsp of water. Leave for 5 minutes until softened.
- Boil the potatoes, let cool completely, then mash with a potato masher. Do not add salt — salt draws out moisture and makes the mixture harder to handle and less crispy.
- Add the chopped green chili, ginger, cornstarch, and soaked poha to the mashed potatoes. Mix until well combined. Set aside for 15 minutes while you make the filling.
- For the filling: heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the fennel seeds and cumin seeds and let them sizzle, then add the chopped ginger and sauté for a few seconds.
- Add the crumbled paneer and all the dry spices — red chili powder, amchur powder, garam masala, chaat masala, and kala namak. Add the salt and mix well.
- Cook for 2 minutes, then add the chopped cilantro, raisins, and cashews. Give a final mix and set aside. The filling is ready.
- Divide the potato mixture into equal portions and shape into balls. Press the center of each ball to make a dent.
- Place about 2 tbsp of filling (or 1 tbsp for smaller tikkis) into the dent and press in with a spoon. Pinch and seal the edges to fully enclose the filling. Repeat until all the mixture is used. (A cookie cutter can be used to shape them uniformly.)
- Heat oil in a deep pan to around 275°F (135°C). Carefully lower the tikkis in and fry for 4–5 minutes until a crust forms but no color develops. Remove and let cool completely.
- Raise the oil temperature to around 350°F (175°C). Fry the tikkis again for 2–3 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy on the outside. Drain on a kitchen towel.
- To serve, arrange on a plate and top with yogurt, cilantro mint chutney, and sweet chutney. Sprinkle with chaat masala and red chili powder. Garnish with chopped cilantro and onion. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The double-fry method is the key to crispy tikkis: the first low-temperature fry sets the crust without browning, and the second high-temperature fry crisps them up.
- Do not skip the cooling step between fries.
- Keeping salt out of the potato mix also helps — it causes the potatoes to release moisture.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Side, Street Food
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tikkis
- Calories: 320