Aloo tiki or potato cutlet is a North Indian snack made of boiled potatoes and various spices. “Aloo” means potato, and the word “tikki” means a small cutlet or croquette. It is found in almost every chaat shop or stall in Delhi, as well as, in other parts of India. It is served hot along with, tamarind and coriander-mint chutney (sauce), known as Hari (green) chutney. I decided I need to learn how to make these after my best friend had a craving for them over the weekend and asked my mom to make us some. They are fairly simple to make and very filling. They are excellent to serve as an afternoon snack with tea or with drinks as an appetizer. Next time we have a craving, we won’t need to run home for them…yum!

• 3 medium size potatoes
• 1 small onion- finely chopped or a half of a medium
• 1 green chili- finely chopped (remove seeds when chopping to minimize heat if you are worried about spice level)
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. fennel powder (I didn’t have any so I left out, you won’t die if it isn’t in there)
• ½ tsp. red chili powder
• ¼ tsp. dry ginger powder (I also added garlic powder in place of the fennel, mainly because I can’t eat most food without some sort of garlicky goodness)
• ½ tsp. chaat masala powder (MDG is my fav brand, but there are tons of kinds out there & easy to find)
• 2 tbsp. flour or corn starch (you cant skip this, it helps bind them and give them a crust, they will fall apart without it)
• handful of fresh coriander leaves chopped (AKA cilantro. If you don’t like the flavor of cilantro, fresh parsley works as well)
• oil for pan or shallow frying (vegetable is best since olive oil has a stronger flavor)
• salt (I also added a pinch of black pepper)

Boil the peeled potatoes and after they are cooled a bit, using a grater to grate them. You can even use a potato masher instead of grating to save time. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape each portion into a round, flat tikki. (Pack them tightly so they don’t fall apart in the pan) Heat a non-stick pan on a medium to high flame and cook each tikki, using oil generously: think shallow fry, till both sides are golden brown. (you will be tempted to mess with them but let each side firm up & get browned, flip gently). Drain on an absorbent paper towel to catch any excess oil and serve hot. This is the Indian version of our latkes. It tastes like nostalgia/home.

Happy Eating, XO.