We, Indians, absolutely love our street food. Go anywhere around any Indian city, you'll find something to munch on to satiate your hunger cravings. Amongst a plethora of dishes offered on our streets, aloo tikka or potato fritters never fails to stimulate our appetite. A plate of hot fried tikkis with chana, onions, sauce and chutney (both savoury and sweet) is all we need to keep us going till our next meal. You don't have to step out or order in every time you get a craving for a spicy, crunchy tikki. You can relish this delightful treat even at home. You can also spruce it up by stuffing it inside buns to make a delicious tikki burger or fill it in a chapatti or naan and have as a roll.
Though a tikki can be easily prepared at home, most people go wrong with binding all the raw ingredients together before frying it. If this step is not carried out carefully, you will either not be able to bind your tikki properly or find it breaking up during frying.
(Also Read: Spicy tikki recipe)
Aloo tikki is a popular street food and snack meal in India
Here are some few genius hacks that will hold your tikki together -
1. Coat with flour -
The grainy and gritty texture of flours form a protective layer over the tikki that keeps it together makes it look plain and uniform on the outside. You can use ay flour of your choice, although cornflour (which has thickening properties) and semolina flours are most preferred.
2. Mix bread crumbs or poha
Bread crumbs or poha flakes will absorb all the moisture from potatoes, peas and other veggies and will help them stick to each other even while frying.
3. Mix sabudana (tapioca pearls)
Soak sabudana balls for a few minutes till they turn soggy and add sabudana to the tikki mixture. Other than binding all the ingredients, they will also lend a crispy, crunchy texture to the tikka.
4. Freeze the tikkis
A simple way of making sure you get a stiff tikki is to keep it in the refrigerator or freezer (if you have less time) before cooking them. The cold temperature inside the fridge will harden and bind the tikki naturally.
5. Heat the oil in advance
Start heating the oil in the frying pan and let it come to a boiling temperature before tossing in the tikkis. Cold oil will break off your tikkis while it is turning soggy, waiting for the oil to boil. Also, make sure you fry the tikki at a low flame that will let the tikki cook through without leaving it burnt.
(Also Read: Kacche Kele Ki Tikki Recipe)
Now, enjoy your favourite crispy, spicy aloo tikki at home by following these easy tips to ensure you get the perfect patty on your plate.