Crispy Aloo Tikki: The favourite street snack in India is aloo tikki, which are spiced potato, in the form of a flat disc and shallow fried until golden. Served with chutneys, or stuffed into soft pav in chaat or the delicacy ragda pattice of Mumbai it can make a meal on its own!
Deep-frying is not very healthy. Rather, air-fry or bake your aloo tikki!
Best Ingredients
Crispy Aloo Tikki: The great aloo tikki is all about selecting the correct ingredients. The best tikkis made and cooked until fork tender are starchy potatoes such as russet potatoes. Pre-cooking of the potatoes is advised and draining them prior to frying so as to help keep shape and not break down during the frying process.
The mashed potato blend is thickened up with a natural thickener like arrowroot flour, rice flour, roasted besan (chickpea flour), tapioca starch or even bread slices soaked in water. These substitutes to cornflour give the tikkis a crunchy bite without affecting the lightness or the flavour.
When the tikkis are cooled down it is possible to make them into a flat patty and shallow fry to a golden crisp.
The right amount of crackle just requires the addition of a sprinkle of oil to the tawa or skillet and then fried in it until it is golden side first then inverted and fried on the other side a little. You will have a fine and crunchy crust another minute, on either side.
To get a more hearty version of the traditional aloo tikki fill them with a spicy pea stuffing and mould them into shape and fry them – they can be cut into a snack portion and made into a chaat snack or can be placed in a bun and made into a desi burger.
They could be air-fried or baked instead to be less caloric. You may also pour on top of them with curd or chutneys or have them drowned in white-pea curry, as ragda pattice of Mumbai.
But in whatever manner you wish to consume them a good tikki aloo is a traditional Indian street-food, whether in Chandni Chowk in Delhi or a cart in your local market.
Binding Alternatives
With modern cooks looking into alternatives to flour to bind potato patties together during cooking unlike the traditional recipes which involve the use of flour, the modern cookers are looking at alternatives that will serve a similar purpose but will not over cook.
Even though cornflour is still the choice, breadcrumbs and poha powder have also turned out to be useful by most cooks.
These binding agents absorb the moisture and to ensure the tikkis are not too soft and the crunch as well as the texture of the tikkis. The other alternative that is great is rice flour that gives it a slightly sweet flavor and a light texture. It is also gluten free and is easily accessible in the Indian markets.
These other binding agents other than fat will be used to make sure that the tikkis are crisp when being consumed. It is a key consideration in making a snack that has to be consumed immediately after it is prepared.
Aloo tikki can also be made in accordance with the individual preferences and diets. The traditional one is prepared with boiled potatoes which is mashed with spices and cooked until it becomes golden although this can be extended to add fillings like paneer or peas.
All you need to make stuffed tikkis is to make the dough into a cup. Then add 2 tablespoons of the paneer peas mixture to the inside, and then folds the sides of the paneer samosa and seals it.
Aloo tikkis are usually fried to obtain a crispy crust, but can be baked or shallow grilled. They can be used as a snack or topped with chaat or can be used as the base of more complicated dishes such as samosas, burgers.
In North India, aloo tikkis are served either with a filling of cooked spiced chana dal, or with paneer. A simple aloo tikki is called ragda pattice in Western India, and is the primary dish in a delicious street food called Chole Tikki Chaat.
After making the tikkis you can dip them into any of a sweet tamarind chutney combined with sharp green coriander-mint chutney in order to have that nice combination of both sweetness and spice.
Should you desire it a sprinkling of whisked curd, shredded onions and a sprinkle of pate seved sev will give it the finishing touch. These are the simplest methods of making a simple aloo tikki look tasty and satisfying which could be done at home.
How to make the Perfect Aloo Tikki Mixture
Potatoes are the main dish of Indian street food. Aloo tikki is a traditional Indian snack which is prepared using spiced mashed potatoes which are rolled into balls and shallow fried until golden in color.
Eat it naked with chutneys, pack it in a soft pav as a desi burger or drown it in curry of white peas as the city of Mumbai notorious ragga pattice, this basic food dish is a culinary staple in most family diets.
The ingredients have to be correct to make a crisp aloo tikki. The potatoes ought to be tender (not mushy) and well drained – and, ideally, should have been cooked the night before. This does not allow them to steam rather than crisp and it makes the tikkis light and fluffy.
Then the potatoes should be smashed and ground without any lumps and ground with a lot of chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric and garam masala. This is essential to create the unique chaat flavour.
The dough also has to be firm enough that it does not start losing its shape and therefore adding a pinch of rice flour into the dough may be required. This will also help in adhering the mixture without the additional quantity of flour.
Lastly, the tikkis should be rolled and made even and thin- again uniform thickness will guarantee that the tikki will cook at an equal rate. The last step is to roast the tikkis on a flat tawa using medium heat till they are crisp enough to hear them.
Common Mistakes
Aloo Tikki is a delicious street food of Northern and Western India. These are spiced potatoes that are simple, or stuffed with cooked spicy chana dal, paneer or matar (green peas). They often serve as an in-between snack, with sweet and spicy chutneys and whisked Indian curd (called dahi).
Cornflour or bread crumbs would be a good addition to this recipe and create these crispy aloo tikki. The additional ingredients make sure that the tikkis will not be rendered vulnerable by the clubbering effect of water as well as make them crisp when fried.
It is also the most appropriate method to be applied when one is allergic to gluten or does not want to wastage of a lot of oil in frying the tikkis.
To avoid pasty and sticky potatoes, potatoes are supposed to be cooled completely then the flour or bread crumbs added to the mixture. Another idea that is good is the potatoes should be mashed using a masher or even better, grated.
A chocked potato mixture is always good to add a little more crumb of bread or flour to the mixture in case of excessive stickiness and additional water might be captured by the crumb and the tikkis could hold their shape.
When you are rolling the tikkis roll the tikkis with your hands and not a rolling pin. This will give the tikkis a good shape and lumps-free in it.
Once the tikkis are prepared then it is prudent to rest the tikkis after 10 minutes of time and thereafter fry the tikkis. When left to dry the tikkis will solidify and will help to keep them crisper.
When the tikkis are laid away, then those may be shallow, or fried in deep in any manner that you like. The amount of oil to be used in frying the tikkis is recommended to be approximately 1/4 cup.
When frying, one should not roll over the tikkis as it will lead to a nice golden hue being attained by the tikki. Should you upset the tikkis, they will lose their crispness, and might not be so nice.
During frying, also take time to ensure that the tikkis cook in the same position of up to 3-4 mins and then flip them upside down. Fry the other side then another 3 to 4 mins. After the tikkis have been prepared they may be served hot with mint chutney or ketchup.