The best part is that it’s Vegan and gluten-free too, isn’t that amazing?
Today, I will glorify an all-time favorite street food- The Stuffed Aloo Tikki. A dish that perfectly manifests the essence of Indian Street food. Although I am not a huge fan of fried food, the rainy season sets the cravings for street-style food, and I happily let the cravings take over me! Then resorting to homemade street food is a deliberated choice. As the meaning goes, ‘Aloo’ in Hindi means potato, and ‘tikkis’ is patties, cutlets, or savory cakes. Stuffed Aloo Tikki is made with a stuffing of channa dal (boiled) and spices and pan-cooked or deep-fried to a crispy and flavorful snack that can be enjoyed with evening tea or a hot cup of coffee at any time of the day. These tikkis are mostly shallow-fried or air-fried, but they can be air-fried (for healthier cooking) or grilled as well. These spicy-crispy patties are best enjoyed with green chutney (cilantro dip), tamarind chutney, or even tomato sauce.
Fasting recipe — To prepare your tikkis for fasting/ vrat, you can replace the stuffing of chana dal with dried coconut mixture. Addition of paneer — In the typical North Indian style preparation, the Aloo Tikkis are stuffed with a mixture of spicy sautéed paneer and peas and served with spicy, savory chickpea curry and topped with onions, green chutney, and tamarind chutney. However, it is made without any stuffing in western India, and it tastes just as great. Street vendors — While street food in Mumbai, these Aloo patties are served with Ragda (white dried peas spicy, savory curry) and are popularly known as Ragda patties.
Since all ages love potatoes, I think the authentic style of the stuffed Aloo Tikkis is a winsome way to sneak in some extra veggies and make the tikkis more nutritious, apart from being immensely flavorful.
Potatoes — Potatoes form the essential ingredient of this recipe. We are using boiled, peeled, and mashed potatoes here. Thick rice flakes or Poha (flattened rice) — Poha or beaten rice is added as a binding agent to the recipe. If it’s unavailable, you can add rice flour or chickpea flour. Bread crumbs can also be added as the binding agent to the recipe, which makes the tikkis crispy and crusty. Lentils — Boiled chana dal lentils are used as a part of the stuffing of this yummy tikkis. Chickpea Flour — This is added to the potato batter and the filling as the binding agent. Besan/chickpea flour helps the tikkis to be shaped better. Paprika — Lends a sweet-spicy flavor and color to the tikkis. Dried mint leaves — Lend a fresh flavor and aroma to the stuffed aloo tikkis. Cumin powder — This is added for flavor and aroma. Mango powder and chaat masala — These lend a subtle tanginess and spiciness to the tikkis that makes them so yummy. Prepare the filling — We start by preparing the lentil filling first. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pan. Add the boiled chana dal and saute for about 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add all the spices and chickpea flour listed under ‘filling ingredients.’ Mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Do the taste test and set it aside to cool. Make the outer covering — Soak the flattened rice for a few minutes until soft. Meanwhile, mash the (boiled and peeled) chilled potatoes in a bowl. Now, drain the poha and allow any excess liquid to drain. Add salt, and red chili powder, and mix until the aloo mixture looks like a smooth dough. Make sure the potato dough is lump-free and smooth in texture. Add a tablespoon of rice flour if the dough feels sticky and bind again. PROTIP — I strongly suggest keeping the outer layer as simple as possible because if too many spices are added to the outer covering (potato mixture), then the authentic flavors of the stuffed tikkis might get lost. Assemble and shape Aloo tikkis — Take a golf-sized ball of potato dough mix and shape it like a ball. Flatten the ball and place a tablespoon of cooled lentil mix in the center. Bring the sides together, seal and pinch the ball in the center until it looks like a round ball. Gently flatten the ball and repeat the process with the rest of the potato dough and filling. Cook the stuffed aloo Tikki — Heat and grease a wide non-stick pan. Always use a non-stick pan for cooking; else, the tikkis will stick to the pan and break off. Arrange the stuffed aloo tikkis in a single layer and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Once cooked, remove from the pan, and serve warm with the chutney of your choice. PROTIP — Tikkis are mostly shallow-fried or pan-fried. However, you can even air-fry them or grill them for a healthier version.
Do not let the potato dough sit for long — Salt releases moisture from the dough and may turn the dough soggy. Hence, it won’t be easy to shape and even fry/ cook the tikkis. To avoid this, do not let the dough sit for too long. Substitute for Poha — You may substitute Poha for homemade bread crumbs and cornflour ( ½ cup of bread crumbs + 3 tbsp cornflour). You can even add rice flour, and the result will still be good. However, while adding cornflour, ensure that the potato dough is cold, as hot/ warm dough does not bind well and the mixture turns sticky. Another option that works well is adding oats flour, finely crushed cornflakes, or even crushed peanuts to the dough.
Stuffing made of roasted dry coconuts and nuts. A mixture of spicy crumbled paneer and green onions. You can cook a mixture of onions and besan and use it to stuff your tikkis. (refer to the besan parantha recipe for the mix)
Chilled potatoes — Always use cold leftover mashed potatoes straight out of the fridge to form your tikkis, cutlets, and koftas. As the starch in the refrigerated potatoes has settled, this will prevent your dish from falling apart. Deep-fry — If deep-frying, take care to set the temperature of the oil right for frying. If the temperature is low, the tikkis may break and mess up and also soak more oil. If the temperature is high ( than required), it will turn the outer surface crispy and dark, but the inside will remain uncooked.
Below, are a few other ways to relish these delectable savory cakes —
Stuffed Aloo Tikki Burger — These crispy fried cutlets can be sandwiched in burger buns, topped with your favorite veggies and a dash of ketchup or chutney, and there you have – The scrumptious Aloo Tikki Burger! North Indian street style chaat — You can add some beaten curd (yogurt) and top it with sweet chutney, green chutney, a few onion rings, chaat masala, and pomegranate arils, and your chaat is ready. Aloo Tikki Chole Chaat — Another way of digging into this delectable dish is to top it with spicy chole (chickpeas) curry and flavorful chutneys to come up with a lip-smacking chaat! Aloo Tikki Sandwich — Smash a Tikki on a slice of bread and top it with some cheese and a piece of onion ring and you are ready with a luscious Aloo Tikki Sandwich. Aloo Tikki Pockets — You will surely love this easy variation of Aloo Tikki. Just wrap it inside a puff pastry sheet and enjoy the quick spicy treat! You can enjoy these spicy crispy Tikkis all by themselves with your favorite chutney.
So get ready and let the excitement take you over as you shape each patty adding love and deliciousness to each one of them. Should you make this Stuffed Aloo Tikki recipe, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
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