Ragda Patties/ Aloo Tikki Matar Chaat

 

The journey to childhood is a dream I often see, with wide open eyes on a sunny day, chewing some nuts, flipping old pictures and virtually behaving like a kid again. Have you ever walked, rather jumped in a hopping fashion like frogs when you were a kiddo? I used to do that and sometimes even now I feel like giving some bumpy jumps and run around the house like a kid. Now, with my little one around, it's not difficult to try all that since I teach her funny things and we play together, from 'Ringa ringa roses' to ' I Meena, Super Cello' , and she just loves all that. She would wake up in the bed clapping on my hands and calling, 'Mumma, I Meena....' and I simply adore those nights and this beautiful time blessed with her.

Now, when my child soul has been awakened by these breezy thoughts, I want to go back to the times in old eightees (80's) when all we cousins used to bang our gang in summer holidays and then my nani who used to give 2 Rs to each kid every day re-livens in my flash-back memories. We would add all the money and walk ahead for a new story everyday, counting the coins and then finger-pointing the hit list menu for that day. I can still smell the Pani Puri and Aloo Chaat we used to relish on the street sides and I can't get my mind off the 'Gota/ Burf ka Gola' and the special Falooda; also the tangy tongue-tickling 'imli' and 'kokam', and not forgetting the 'Soda' with the crackling sound of the glass ball that used to tickle on opening the bottle....aaaah... I really really wish, from beneath my heart, that I could live those days again, and I'm so upset that the next generation will certainly miss all this because our pure souls have disappeared somewhere in this mad flashy crowd. But grazing against the wind, I would surely love her to at least feel a morsel of that, and this is what pushes me to recall and try every tit-bit I enjoyed then. I promise ( and I really mean it!), I'll brighten my space with all these recipes some or the other day because I just don't want to miss on any of them. :)

Since I want to start with a chatar-patar chatpat snack, I can't think of anything better than Aloo Tikki Chaat aka Ragda Patties...very famous on the stall of 'Chhotu Bhai' at 'Sukhadia Circle' but I love even the small street corner stalls which serve them with a vibrant spicy tinge. I always used to ask the stall-boy to add in some more Mint Chutney because I love this herb to its core and now replicating that recipe is surely not an easy job, but I almost reached there with a heart throb. 

RAGDA PATTIES/ ALOO TIKKI MATAR CHAAT

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes ( excluding the Matar and Aloo boiling part)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Patties/ Tikki:

1. Potatoes/ Aloo: 6 (boiled, peeled and mashed)

2. Mix veggies ( I used the frozen ones): Carrots, cauliflower, beans, peas and corns - (optional)

3. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

4. Salt: 2 tsp or as per taste

5. Green Chillies: 2 ( finely chopped) - optional

6. Coriander Powder: 1 tbs

7. Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

8. Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp

9. Garam Masala: 1 tsp

10. Bread Crumbs: 1/4 cup or corn flour: 3 tbs

11. Oil/Ghee: for deep/shallow frying

For Ragda/Matar:

1. Yellow dried peas/ Sookha Matar: 1 and a half cups

2. Onions: 2 (finely chopped)

3. Tomatoes: 3 (finely chopped)

4. Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbs (optional)

5. Green Chillies: 2 (finely chopped)

6. Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp

7. Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp or more

8. Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

9. Coriander Powder: 2 tbs

10. Salt: 2 tsp or as per taste

11. Garam Masala: 1 and a half tsp (If you want it hotter and spicier, add in a little more)

For the final garnish:

1. Chopped onions:2

2. Chopped tomatoes: 2 (optional)

3. Green Coriander Mint Chutney

4. Tamarind Chutney

5. Chopped Coriander leaves

6. Bhel Sev/ Namkeen ( I used 'taar-fini/ soot-fini' here in place of sev)

7. Yogurt/ curd with spices and salt

Method:

For making Patties:

1. Boil the potatoes, peel them off and mash them really well.
2. Steam/microwave/ boil the mix veggies for 5-10 minutes on the other hand.
3. Now take the mashed potatoes. steamed soft veggies, all the spices, salt and bread crumbs/corn flour together and make a soft dough. Do not add any water.
4. Divide the dough in eight or ten equal portions and make flat patties by pressing round balls between your palms. 
5. Since I avoid deep frying the patties, I prefer the shallow-frying method. Take a non stick pan/ skillet (tawa) and pour some oil/ghee on it. Spread it evenly on the skillet/pan. 
6. When the oil/ghee gets enough heated, place the tikkis/patties on the skillet/pan and let them cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
7. Press a little with a wooden spatula and wait till it turns golden brown on the bottom.
8. Now flip over and pour in some oil/ghee from the sides. Again wait for this side to go golden brown.
9. Keep pressing in between with the spatula because this will help flattening the patty and it will fry evenly.
10. When fully done, take out on a tissue paper and remove all excess oil.
11. The patties are ready to be served.

For the Ragda/Peas Curry/Matar:

1. Soak the yellow dried peas overnight. Next day pressure cook them for around 20 minutes with 1 tbs salt and 1 tsp turmeric.
2. They should become soft and slightly mushy which will help getting a better gravy.
3. Now take oil in a pan and heat it. When optimally hot, throw in the chopped onions.
4. Cook till they go golden brown. Now add in ginger garlic paste (optional) and green chillies  followed by the chopped tomatoes.
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes till they go soft.
6. Push in all the spices (leave 1/2 tsp garam masala to be added towards the end) and remaining salt and cook for 2 minutes till the oil separates.
7. Now add the boiled peas to it and simmer for 10 minutes. Add water if required to get a thin gravy consistency. The gravy should not be thick for Ragda else the chaat will taste very dry.
8. Sprinkle the saved 1/2 tsp garam masala, give a stir and cover the pan to secure the aroma from fusing out. 

Assembling and Presentation:

1. Take a wide bowl/plate/saucer. make 2 tikkis/patties to sit at the bottom.
2. Spoon in some steaming hot ragda/peas gravy ( about 3-4 big spoons).
3. Throw in the chopped onion and tomato.
4. Add yogurt/ curd followed by the green chutney and tamarind chutney.
5. Ornament with chopped coriander leaves and Bhel Sev/Namkeen.
6. I had my Ragda Patties with a 'twist' here. I unfortunately did not have any Bhel Sev so I gave it a slightly different form by adding super crispy 'Taar Fini/ Soot Fini' to the dish. The taste was perfect and the texture fantastic!

 Suggestions:

1. If you wish, you could roll the patties in some corn flour water and then cover them with bread crumbs for extra crispiness, but I prefer skipping this step because I like the Patties just their way.
2. The street side Aloo Tikki generally doesn't have mix veggies, but I admire this healthier version, so it's pretty optional for you to adopt this or not.
3. In place of dried yellow peas, you can also use green peas but then do not pressure cook them for long. 
4. If you wish you can puree the tomatoes and grind the onion paste instead of using the chopped ones.
5. Spices are a matter of taste buds and your stomach response, so use them the way that suits them both. You can always go spicier by adding more green chillies, red chilli powder and garam masala.
6. The deep frying option for patties is always open for people who love sinful delights. 
7. Don't forget, the chutneys are also not bland, they too have chilly in them. 

GREEN CHUTNEY:

Ingredients:

1. Coriander leaves: 1 bunch

2. Mint Leaves: 1 bunch

3. Green Chillies: 1 or 2 ( depending on your taste)

4. Garlic pods: 4

5. Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

6. Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp

7. Red Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)

8. Salt: 1 tsp or as per taste

9. Lemon juice: 1 tbs ( optional)

10. water: for mixing/blending

Method:

1. Take all the ingredients together, leaving behind lemon juice, and grind them into a smooth chutney. 
2. Be sure you wash the leaves properly before use because they have a lot of mud and dirt in them.
3. I generally microwave leaves post washing for about 1-2 minutes to let off all microorganisms, but that is purely optional.
4. At last, drop in the lemon juice (especially if you want the chutney for any further use, like with parathas or sandwiches). I generally add lemon juice after using it for Radga Patties because I avoid putting lemon together with tamarind in the final dish. 
5. The chutney can be refrigerated and reused for 3-4 days. If you wish a longer storage, fill the chutney in an ice tray and freeze into cubes. Then transfer the cubes in a zip-lock or an air tight container and keep in the deep freezer for as long as you want ( 1-2 months).  

TAMARIND/ IMLI CHUTNEY:

Ingredients:

1. Tamarind/ imli paste: 3 tbs ( you can also use the dried imlis here soaked in hot water and then strained)

2. Water: 6 tbs

3. Sugar: 7-8 tbs sugar ( depending on how sweet you want)

4. Black salt: 1/4 tsp

5. Salt: 1 tsp

6. Cumin Powder/ Jeera: 1/2 tsp

7. Fennel Seeds/ Saunf: 1/4 tsp

8. Dried Mint Leaves ( powdered): 1 tsp

Method:

1. If you are using dried tamarind/imli, then soak it in hot/warm water for 10 minutes and then mix it well/blend it. Strain it through a sieve to exclude all coarse impurities. 
2. Take the thick tamarind paste/ strained tamarind paste in a wok/pan. Add sugar, water and take a boil. Do not overheat else the chutney will become sticky on cooling.
3. If you want the chutney slightly runny, add in a little more water before boiling.
4. Push in all the spices followed by the mint herb. 
5. Let it cool and serve as required. 
6. This can also be refrigerated for about 10-15 days, even more.

The recipe flies off to:

Walk Through Memory Lane  by Gayatri

Celebrating Street Foods by Tomato Blues