Kurkure Aloo Tikki | Crispy Potato Cutlets

Aloo Tikkis are an all time favourite in my home. I remember cold winters in Delhi when we would all pile into my Dad's old Fiat and head off to Bengali Market to get a fix of crispy hot and crispy aloo tikkis. Served with melt-in-the-mouth chole, sweet tamarind chutney and hot green chili sauce, this concoction served as an instant winter warmer!! Just the nostalgia motivates me every year to recreate the magic during the frigid, snowy winters here in the north.
Though tikkis are typically round, and often have a filling, I have made them without any filling and heart-shaped! Well, what with Valentine's Day round the corner and a box of untested cookie cutters, creativity seemed the mantra of the day :)

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized potatoes
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Salt, to taste
2-3 tbsp oil
Method:

1. Wash and boil the potatoes. Cool completely, peel, and then mash. There should be no lumps.
2. Soak each slice of bread in cold water until it is wet through, then squeeze all the water from it.
3. Add to the mashed potato, and blend well together.
4. Now add salt to taste and the grated ginger. Mix all ingredients well and knead to form a soft dough.
5. Take a handful of this dough, form a ball, and then flatten this to a half inch thickness on a work board. Using a heart shaped cookie-cutter cut out a heart-shape tikki. Set aside.
6. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
7. Pour 1 tbsp oil in a heated frying pan, place 5 tikkis and cook on medium heat, until the tikki is browned and crisp on the bottom. Turn over and cook the other side till brown and crisp. Add oil as needed, though sparingly. Use remaining oil to cook the rest of the tikkis.
8. Remove the cooked tikkis onto a plate lined with foil and keep warm until ready to serve.
9. Serve warm, with accompaniment of choice.

In case you are surprised to learn the ingredients of this tikki, here's something you might be interested in knowing. I usually do make tikkis with a filling and for these I don't use bread in the dough. I suspect it will take away from an already flavourful snack! However, I have recently discovered that plain tikkis just come out crispier and tastier when I add the bread.

This recipe goes to Alka @ Sindhi Rasoi who has announced her very first food event Just for You, just in time for Valentine's Day!! I am also sending this heart-shaped treat to Bindiya @ In Love With Food for her food event Love-Heart Shaped Foods !! Thanks Bindiya for visiting my blog and alerting me to this lovely event:)

Vegan Recipe

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