Name: Aloo Tikki Chaat
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 Potato, medium, boiled, cooled, grated; 2 tbsp Rice Flour, or cornflour, for binding; 1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; 1 tsp Chaat Masala; ½ tsp Ground Cumin, roasted; ½ tsp Salt; 3 tbsp Cooking Oil, for shallow frying; ½ cup Indian-Style Yogurt, thick, whisked and sweetened with a pinch of sugar; 3 tbsp Tamarind Chutney, meethi chutney; 2 tbsp Green Chutney, spicy mint-coriander base; 2 tbsp Nylon Sev, fine nylon variety, for garnish

1 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

In a sizable mixing bowl, amalgamate the cold grated potatoes, rice flour, finely chopped green chilli, coriander, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, and salt.
Use a very light hand to bring the mixture together into a dough. Do not knead it, as working it too much makes the potato sticky and heavy.
Portion the mixture evenly and sculpt them into robust, thick, and perfectly round patties (tikkis).
Pre-heat an oil-slicked heavy cast-iron tawa or flat pan over a sustained medium heat.
Place the tikkis onto the hot surface. Allow them to shallow fry entirely undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until the bottom face cures into a deeply golden, impenetrable crust.
4–5 min
Turn them over carefully and press down firmly with a spatula. Fry the other side until it is as crisp as the first.
Chaat Assembly: Transfer two sizzling hot, shatter-crisp tikkis onto a serving plate. Fracture them slightly down the center with your thumb or a spoon to create craters.
Ladle generous, cascading layers of the cold sweetened curd, sharp tamarind chutney, and fiery green chutney directly over the fractured tikkis.
Dust the construction heavily with chaat masala and cumin powder, finishing with a voluminous handful of crispy nylon sev. Serve instantaneously.

How to tell it's done

The benchmark of absolute perfection is a loud, shattering, audible crunch from the exterior crust that gives way immediately to a steaming, fluffy interior, dynamically interacting with the cold, wet chutneys.

Getting it right

Tip

Street vendors deliberately press and crack the tikki halfway through frying. Breaking it up puts more surface in contact with the pan, which is what gives you the maximum crunch.

What to serve it with

Must be served and consumed immediately to experience the fleeting, magical temperature contrast between the intensely hot, crispy tikki and the cold, fluid yogurt sauces.

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Ingredients