It’s October, yes… autumn is setting in… December is inching closer… but it’s also our Indian festival month… the month of Diwali!!! Diwali is our New Year… a time for celebration, colour, lights, and lots of tasty food, of course!!!
In India, these soft potato delights are served as street food.. sometimes on bread, with ketchup or a spicy chutney… wonderful!!! We are known for our spicy street food for sure… there are just gazillions of choices… fried, toasted, grilled.. even spiced fruit… and it’s ALL to die for!! But you do have to have a strong-ish stomach to deal with it all… 😉
Diwali is just like having a street food party sometimes.. It’s our only chance in the year to go all out, make all the fried food possible and NOT feel guilty about it because we are celebrating!! Not to say that these “tikkis” are totally bad for you or anything… they’re shallow fried… so that’s ok, right? But they really are delightful and comforting and exciting in a strange way!! It’s a naughty pleasure for me, definitely!
Crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside… with a hint of spice… it’s a favourite with the little ones too!
I served mine with this homemade mango chutney, so quick and easy to make… but more about that later…let’s make tikkis first!!
- Potaoes 3, large sized, boiled, skin removed and mashed well
- 1/2 Onion finely chopped
- 2 Green chillies , finely chopped (optional)
- Red chilli powder 1 tsp (optional)
- Chaat masala 1 tsp.( if you can’t get hold of this, use 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice instead)
- Dry mango powder 1/2 tsp.
- Roasted cumin powder 1 tsp.
- Grated ginger 1 tbsp.
- Coriander leaves finely chopped
- Bread crumbs 2 tbsp.
- Cornflour 2 tbsp.
- Oil to shallow fry
- Salt
- Some more bread crumbs to coat the tikkis before frying
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed potato with the first 10 ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
- Heat a non stick pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil. Lightly grease your palms and start shaping the tikkis, by rolling them into small balls and slightly flattening them out to form discs. Coat them again in breadcrumbs.
- Shallow fry till golden brown. Turn the tikkis over and cook the other side too, till they’re golden brown in colour. Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain.
- Serve hot with ketchup or chutney of your choice.
Now for the easy mango chutney!
Mango Chutney in minutes
1 large ripe mango, skin removed, cut into cubes
1 shallot, finely chopped
40 gr sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)
1 teaspoon “panch phuran”.. it’s a spice mix available at Asian supermarkets
30 ml white wine vinegar
salt
Method:
The night before, sprinkle the sugar over the fruit in the bowl, turning it lightly to distribute the sugar evenly, then cover with clingfilm and leave it in a cool place overnight.
Next day begin by pre-heating a small frying pan then dry-roast the cumin, coriander and cardamom pods for a couple of minutes to draw out their full flavour. Grind them in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Heat a heavy bottomed pot, add a little sunflower or vegetable oil and fry the shallots for a few minutes until translucent. Add the spices and allow their aromas to release , then add in the mangoes and vinegar, season and allow to simmer , covered, for about an hour, stirring every now and then to make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom.
Remove the chutney from the heat, let it cool for 15 minutes then ladle it into a warm sterilized jar. This should keep in the fridge for a few weeks! Serve with the aloo tikkis, or even with some strong cheese and crackers!
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