Chole Aloo Tikki Chaat

How to make Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry):

1. Rinse and soak chickpeas in enough water for 8-10 hours or overnight.



2. Drain out the excess water and rinse them again with fresh running water in the morning and set aside.



3. Add rinsed chickpeas to a pressure cooker along with salt, water, tea bags, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, peppercorns, and clove.



4. Pressure cook chickpeas for 4-5 whistles on low heat.



5. Let the pressure come off completely before opening the lid.



6. Heat oil/ghee in a pan over medium heat.



7. Add bay leaf, dried red chili, cumin seeds, asafetida and sauté them for few seconds or until they are fragrant.



8. Now add onion paste and sauté it for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.



9. Once the onion is slightly translucent, add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté 2 minutes on medium heat.



10. Next, add tomato puree and stir well to combine. Let the puree cook for 2 minutes.



11. Add chopped chilies and cook for another 1 minute.



12. Next, add the ground all the spices (red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, amchur, cumin powder, and garam masala powder). Let the masala cook for 2 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell goes off.



13. Add black salt, and cook for 1 minute.



14. Once the masala is ready, add cooked chickpeas along with the water and mix everything well.



15. Add 1 tablespoon of chana or chole masala powder. Mix well and let it come to a boil.



16. Check for seasoning, add more salt if required. Also, you can adjust the amount of water and spices at this point.



17. Cover and simmer for at 15-20 minutes on medium heat.



18. Once done, open the lid and add some chopped coriander leaves and cook for 1 more minute.



19. Chana masala is ready. Keep this covered.

Make Moong Dal Stuffing:

1. Rinse 1/4 cup yellow moong dal and soak it for about 3-4 hours. After 4 hours, discard the water from the dal and rinse it again.



2. In a saucepan add soaked dal, 1 1/4 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and stir well.



3. Cover the pan with the lid and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until tender.



4. Once the dal is softened, turn off the heat. Drain, if there is too much water. Keep it aside.



5. In a pan heat 2 tablespoons oil. Once hot, add asafetida, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter for a minute.



6. Now add cashews and raisins and sauté for 1 minute over medium-low heat.



7. After that, add grated ginger, chopped chilies, and sauté for another 1 minute.



8. Add green peas and cook for 1 minute.



9. After that, add cooked dal and sauté 1 minute over medium-low heat.



10. Now add salt, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, amchur powder, and chaat masala powder.



11. Stir well to combine and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until dal is dried and nicely coated with spices.



12. Add coriander leaves and mix everything well.



13. Cook for 1 minute or until mixture comes together like a dough. Stuffing is ready. Transfer stuffing to a bowl and keep it aside to cool completely.

Make Aloo Tikki Mixture:

1. Fill a pan with the water, and add whole potatoes. Cover the pan with the lid and boil for 10 minutes or until they are tender. You can also pressure cook potatoes for 2 whistles on high heat. To check doneness, insert a knife and fork, if it slides gently then the potatoes are cooked.



2. Drain the water and let them cool completely before peeling the skin. Once cooled, peel the potato skin. On a plate, grate boiled potatoes.



3. Add rice flour, corn starch, and salt.



4. Now mix everything together until everything binds well. You should get a smooth non-sticky ball. If for some reason your mixture is still sticky, then add 1-2 tablespoons of more corn starch. Aloo Tikki mixture is ready.

Make Stuffed Aloo Tikki:

1. Grease your palms and take a small portion of aloo tikki mixture and roll it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball with your palm to make a disc and press.



2. Now add 1-2 tablespoons of dal stuffing to the center.



3. Gather all the edges to the center and seal the potato mixture.



4. Roll into a ball and then flatten it gently to make a patty. And roll it like a wheel to get the smooth finish.



5. Make the rest of the tikkis in the same manner. Keep them aside.

Shallow Fry Aloo Tikki:

1. Heat oil in a broad non-stick or cast iron pan.



2. Once the oil is hot, switch the heat to medium-low and slide tikkis gently into the hot oil. Shallow fry tikkis from the bottom, until they are lightly golden.



3. Now gently flip the tikkis using a spatula and fry from both sides until they are golden and crispy.



4. Drain, fried tikkis on a kitchen towel-lined plate. Shallow fry the rest of the tikkis.

To Assemble the Chole Aloo Tikki Chaat:

1. Place 2-3 fried Aloo tikkis on a serving platter.



2. Pour about 2-3 ladlefuls of hot chana masala on top of the hot tikkis.



3. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of tamarind and 1-2 tablespoons green coriander chutney.



4. Sprinkle with chopped onions and chopped cilantro leaves.



5. Sprinkle with some chaat masala powder, red chili powder, and some sev. Enjoy!