Aloo Tikki Chaat

Introduction to Aloo Tikki Chaat

I don’t think truly lived unless you’ve had a good plate of aloo tikki chaat. This has been one of my all time favorite street foods since I’ve been a kid. This and pani puri were pretty much my weekend staples. I grew up in a small town near Toronto called Brampton and there was a particular restaurant I loved to visit called Brar Sweets. And it was such a fun treat to go there. That’s one of the things I love most about food. How it reminds of your childhood, your favorite memories, or of the important people in your life.

So whenever I eat something like this aloo tikki chaat, it brings me back to this nostalgic place. The only way to describe it is when you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know, that’s pretty corny. And it’s a lot to project onto a plate of food. LOL. But it’s genuinely how I feel when I make a lot of these dishes.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, aloo tikki chaat is basically a spicy potato patty covered in chutneys and yogurt. The patty (“tikki”) is traditionally deep-fried but I’ve made it in the air fryer plenty of times and it turns out great. For the chutneys, tamarind and cilantro chutney are an absolute must! you can just add those on top and call it good honestly. But I also love adding yogurt, savory snack mixes like bhujia, and pomegranate seeds if I want some sweetness.

Breakdown of the Ingredients:

Aloo Tikki

This aloo tikki is fairly simple to make. All you’ll need to do is boil your potatoes and add in some oil and a bunch of spices. Also, since I cook this in the air fryer rather than deep frying, the cornstarch really helps the consistency of this patty to be super crispy. Of course, even if you do deep-fry or use an oven, the cornstarch is still great to use. Also, even though there are some pretty rich chutneys which go on top of these tikkis, they actually taste amazing even plain with no toppings!

• Potatoes
• Oil
• Salt
• Cumin
• Coriander powder
• Red chili powder
• Haldi
• Garam masala
• Amchur
• Cornstarch

Tamarind Chutney

I’ve tried this recipe with both raw turbinado and plain white sugar. Both work incredibly well in this dish. Also, the star of the show here, besides the tamarind of course, are the roasted cumin seeds. This is definitely not a step you should skip because it makes such a noticeable difference in this chutney. I’ve tried it with plain old cumin powder and it’s just not as good in my opinion! Dry roasting the cumin seeds and then freshly grinding them gives such a unique and distinct flavor here.

• Raw sugar
• Roasted cumin
• Salt
• Red chili powder
• Black pepper
• Ginger powder
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika
• Tamarind
• Hot water

Cilantro Chutney

I have a few variations of green chutney that I often make and this is one of my favorites. It’s super simple and is just made with cilantro, mint, yogurt, and some spices. It’s also totally customizable. If you want to add more tanginess you can also add some lemon juice. And, the spices can be adjusted to taste as well.

• Cilantro 
• Mint 
• Yogurt
• Salt
• Cumin powder
• Amchur powder
• Garlic powder
• Ginger powder
• Jalapeño
• Lemon

Process + Keys to Success:

Aloo Tikki

• Mash boiled potatoes with spices and oil and add in peas until everything is evenly combined. Then form into patties and brush both sides with more oil. Pop into the air fryer at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking process. If you don’t have an air fryer, fry in a pan instead or use an oven.

Tamarind Chutney

• Soak tamarind in hot water for 30 minutes to an hour and strain out using a sieve- get out as much pulp as you possibly can. Also before soaking in the water, make sure you break apart the tamarind into small pieces so the straining process is easier later on.

Cilantro Chutney

• Blend all ingredients in a food processor to create chutney.

Notes

You can mess around with the the lemon and yogurt ratios. You can also do 2 tbsp yogurt and no lemon or only 2 tbsp lemon and no yogurt. Or do half and half with 1-2 tbsp of each!

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• Samosa
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