U.P. style Alu Tikki | Potato patties with chutneys

Alu tikki or Aloo tikki chole is a popular street food of India, specially north side. It is basically just mashed potato patties, mixed with spices and binder, deep fried and then eaten hot. Usually served with Chhole masala and chutneys, with a whole array of choice for toppings like sev, bhujiya, crushed  papdi, white peas ghughni, even fruits like pomegranate, grapes etc. 

Different regions and cities serve this Tikki in their own style. This one is a special version of Alu tikki, which is very famous in my hometown Aligarh, U.P. The state of U.P. is famous for its Chaats and street food. People there are fond of spicy food, with variations among cities as well. In Aligarh, this alu tikki is served in chopped pieces rather than in the form of a whole patty. Its shallow fried on a large griddle, flattened, cut into pieces, and then fried again to serve along with a number of different toppings. Frying it twice provides the tikki an extra punch of crisp and pushes the flavours inside the tikki. 

It’s a very handy snack when you  have guests coming over and can be prepared ahead of time. Keep the whole patties ready, frying them half way through. Cut them into pieces, and then shallow fry them again to serve in a jiffy. I did that for my last Dussehra party and it was the best item of the evening. 

I also use some spiced yogurt when to serve this snack. Like the one you may for Dahi Bhalla, you can check the recipe for the same here. Along with the tangy coriander chutney (which is again a U.P specialty) and the usual Dates and tamarind chutney. The combination is terrific in itself, you just need to sprinkle some Chaat masala on top and you are done!  

What you need?

• 3-4 large potatoes, boiled and peeled
• 2 pieces of bread, shredded
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 1 tsp cumin powder (jeera)
• 1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya)
• ½ tsp fennel powder (saunf)
• ½ tsp red chili powder (lal mirch)
• ½ tsp dry mango powder (amchoor/khatai)
• ½ tsp chaat masala powder
• ½ tsp black salt –optional
• Salt to taste 

How to make? 

• Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them properly using potato masher. You can also grate them. Make sure there are no lumps when it’s done. Do not overdo it at this moment, or else the potatoes will start releasing starch which will make them sticky.
• Add in the shredded bread and corn flour, mix well. Throw in all the spices and mix properly.
• Make  medium sized patties from the potato mixture and flatten them a bit between your palms. If its sticky, grease your palms before rolling. Meanwhile, heat oil for frying in a wide and heavy bottomed pan (kadhai)
• Once the oil is hot enough, turn the flame to low-medium and shallow fry these patties until they are crispy and brown from both sides. Keep the flame at medium, so the tikkis don’t remain under cooked from inside. You can eat the tikkis at this point as well, or you could keep them aside for our second step.
• Once  the fried Tikkis are cool enough, cut each tikki into 4 pieces. Try and keep the pieces equal in size so they are cooked evenly.
• When you are ready to serve, heat the oil in the same pan again. Shallow fry the tikki pieces on medium flame and serve hot with – Tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, Chhole Masala and spices chilled yogurt.

Notes:

• You may have the Tikkis on their own, just with chutneys or with chickpeas. Sometimes I also add more chaat masala on top along with some chopped onion and sev (bhujiya) for extra punch.
• I used brown bread which worked perfectly alright, you may use white bread though which will give more crunch to the patty.
• These tikkis may also be used as a kofta in any gravy. Just add ½ cup of mashed Paneer into the mixture and adjust salt/pepper accordingly. Fry them as usual and use these as Koftas for curry or enjoy them just as they are with chutneys.
• You may also add ½ cup of mashed green peas in the mixture. To do that -> boil the green peas, drain well and mash them with the potatoes. If you are using frozen variety, no need to boil, simply thaw them and mash them with the potatoes.

 

 

If you are looking for more Indian street food recipes, you might like this

Delhi style Gol gappe recipe,

which again is a very North Indian street food and can be altered as per your preferences 

 

Or if you are interested in some party food, try this special

Punjabi style Dahi Bhalla a.k.a. Dahi vada recipe

which is a perfect party pleaser and filling snack

Sharing it with Kalyani’s “Monsoon Mojo” event