Crispy Stuffed Aloo Tikki Recipe

We think aloo tikki deserves its spot among the best Indian potato dishes worth trying at least once. Aloo tikki are crispy and savory patties made of mashed potatoes, spices, and other flavorful ingredients that are formed into flattened balls and fried. The patties are commonly sold as street food in Northern and Western India, accompanied by green chutney, tamarind chutney, or other toppings, sauces, or curries. Aloo tikki can be found plain, with the potato mixture forming the whole patty, or they can be stuffed with ingredients such as green peas, split chickpeas, and corn, or with paneer, a fresh Indian cheese. The stuffing, also mixed with spices and herbs, provides an additional layer of flavor and a pop of color on the inside.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for aloo tikki inspired by North Indian street food, which means they're stuffed with a fragrant green pea mixture with a spicy kick. You can choose not to include the stuffing if you prefer to make them plain. In that case, just leave out the stuffing steps and roll the potato mixture directly into flattened balls. You can even coat the patties with egg and breadcrumbs before frying if you like extra crunch. Although the recipe takes a little time to make, we think it's worth it. Aloo tikki patties are flavor powerhouses that can be served with different chutneys, yogurt sauces, and other toppings to mix things up and keep things fresh for several meals.

The ingredient list for aloo tikki is slightly long, but all these spices and other flavorful ingredients really come together to make a delicious whole. For the potato mixture, you will need unpeeled russet potatoes. The ground spices you will need are cayenne, garam masala, and coriander. Grab a green chile and a little fresh ginger, along with lemon juice, cilantro, and salt. Finally, breadcrumbs and cornstarch will be used to bind the mixture together.

The pea stuffing requires some of the same ingredients. You'll start with frozen peas and will add ground cayenne, ground coriander, ground cumin, green chile, fresh ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, and salt. Have oil for frying on hand as well as optional chutney for serving.

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover them with about 1 inch of water.

Bring the water to a gentle boil and let the potatoes cook for 15-20 minutes until fork tender.

When the potatoes are finished, drain them and place them on a dish or cooling rack. Let them cool until they can be easily handled.

While the potatoes are cooling, make the pea stuffing. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the peas, and boil for 2-4 minutes until tender.

Drain the peas, place them in a medium bowl, and roughly mash them with a fork.

Add the pea stuffing ingredients — cayenne, green chile, coriander, cumin, ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, and salt — and mix well. Taste and adjust for salt or other seasonings. Set aside.

Peel the potatoes with a paring knife.

Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Set aside to cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Add the potato mixture ingredients — cayenne, green chili, garam masala, coriander, ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, salt, breadcrumbs, and cornstarch — and mix well. Taste and adjust for salt or other seasonings. The dough shouldn't be too dry or too sticky.

Shape the potato mixture into 6 balls of equal size. The dough may crack, especially if it is too dry. You can repair the cracks by pressing the dough back together, moistening the area with a very small amount of water if needed.

Shape each ball into a cup shape with a depressed center.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling into each potato cup.

Push the sides of the potato cups up to cover the stuffing and seal the tops.

Gently roll the potato balls to smooth them out and then flatten them into patties.

Heat a shallow layer of frying oil in a frying pan until hot.

Place the patties in the oil in batches and fry, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes until the underside is golden and crispy.

Flip the patties and fry for an additional 4-5 minutes until the other side is golden and crispy. Remove from the heat and place on paper towels to absorb extra moisture.

Serve immediately with chutney, if desired.

This recipe includes instructions for stuffing the aloo tikki with a flavorful green pea mixture. While aloo tikki aren't always stuffed, the pea mixture adds protein and spice as well as a fun element to the dish when you open a patty and see the colorful stuffing. Green peas are not the only option for stuffing these patties, so you can get creative with stuffings according to your taste.

The spices mixed with the peas are versatile and go with many other ingredients. You can sub corn for the peas to alter the flavor and the color of the stuffing. Another stuffing variation is to use chana dal, a type of split chickpea that is widely used in Indian cuisine. Like the peas, make sure the corn or chana dal is cooked first until just tender.

Paneer is a soft, white, unaged cheese that doesn't melt and is one of the most popular ingredients in Indian cooking. You can sub paneer for the peas in the stuffing, or make paneer tikki, which are similar to aloo tikki but the paneer is crumbled and mixed with the mashed potatoes instead of being used in a separate stuffing. You can't go wrong with any of these stuffing ideas, as they're all equally delicious.

A simple and popular way to serve aloo tikki is with chutney, an Indian condiment that pairs perfectly with robust, savory dishes like this one because the sweet or acidic ingredients complement and balance strong flavors. Aloo tikki is usually served with cilantro chutney (also known as coriander chutney), mint chutney, green chutney (which has a combination of cilantro and mint), and a sweeter tamarind chutney. It is sometimes served with simple tomato ketchup and can even be served in a hamburger bun if desired.

A yogurt topping is an alternative to chutney and is a good idea if you don't want a cool contrast to the spices in the patty. Consider making yogurt raita, a creamy Indian yogurt sauce often served as an accompaniment to spicy dishes because of its cooling properties. Raita can be made quickly with plain Greek yogurt, cucumbers, onions, spices, and fresh herbs.

Aloo tikki patties are sometimes served with chana masala, a spicy chickpea curry. Finally, consider serving the patties with a number of toppings with complementary flavors and textures. This kind of dish is called chaat. Aloo tikki chaat is not only delicious but is a visually beautiful dish to serve. Start with a base of aloo tikki patties on a dish and top them with green chutney (made from cilantro and mint), tamarind chutney, yogurt, fresh vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, and something crunchy like fried onions or sev, crunchy Indian fried chickpea noodles.