Chole Tikki

By Chef Ajay Chopra

From Hi Tea

Prep: 8 hours 30 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Method: Moderate

Course: Snack

Type: Punjabi

Key Ingredients:

An ideal snack to be served with cups of hot tea – it is wholesome too

Short History: Chickpea, also known as Garbanzo beans, are legumes of the Fabaceae family. The word ‘chickpea’ is derived from the Latin word ‘cicer’. Chickpeas were first domesticated from its wild progenitor ‘cicer reticulatum,’in Southeast Turkey. From Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia, chickpeas spread to the Mediterranean region and India. Traces of Chickpeas were also discovered in France. Interestingly, in the late 1700s, ground roasted chickpeas were used as a substitute for coffee in Europe and much later during the first World War in Germany. India is the largest producer of chickpeas and the Chole Tikki is a popular preparation made using chickpeas. Punjabi snack, where the chickpea is used to make a spicy gravy..

What is Chole Tikki: Chole Tikki is an Indian snack and a popular street food that is a combo preparation of savoury sweet and tangy Chole and stuffed Tikkis..

Top ways to prepare: To make the chickpea gravy, you can also make a tomato-onion gravy and simmer the cooked chickpeas in it along with other spices. You may use plain or sweetened yogurt to serve. When serving, you can garnish it with chopped onions, tomatoes and beet juliennes..

Cooking Tips: Use fresh ingredients. For tender chickpeas, add a pinch of baking soda when pressure cooking the chickpeas. To get crispy Tikkis in a Chole Tikki recipe, make sure the pan is hot..

Serving Suggestion : Chole Tikki is a popular snack and street food that is best eaten as it is. Tea/coffee may be served with Chole Tikki..

Ingredients

For tikki
Potatoes 300 gms
Cornflour 2 tbsps + to roll
Ghee 1 tbsp + to shallow-fry
Asafoetida ½ tsp
Ginger, chopped 1 tsp
Green chillies, chopped 1 tsp
Raisins 1 tsp
Split skinless green gram (dhuli moong dal) 1 tsp
Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Chaat masala 1 tsp
Chole
Chickpeas (kabuli chane) soaked overnight 250 gms
Tea leaves 2 tbsps
Green chillies, chopped 2
Ginger, chopped 2 inches
Large onion, chopped 1
Large tomato 1
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tsps
Dried mango powder (amchur) 1 tsp
Fennel (saunf) powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 2 tsps
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Chana masala 1 tsp
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Black salt to taste
Ghee 3 tbsps
Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed 1 tsp

Methods

For the tikki, boil potatoes in a deep non-stick pan. Drain, cool, peel, mash and put them into a bowl. Add cornflour and mix well.
For the stuffing, heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan. Add asafoetida, ginger, green chilli and some boiled chickpeas and mix.
Add some raisins, split green gram, split Bengal gram, salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, chaat masala and a little. Mix and cook till the grams are soft. Mash with a masher.
Divide the potato mixture into equal portions, stuff each portion with some stuffing mixture, bring the edges together, seal and shape them into tikkis.
Heat sufficient ghee in a non-stick pan. Spread cornflour in a plate.
Roll the tikkis in cornflour and shallow-fry, turning sides, till both sides are evenly golden. Drain on absorbent paper.
For the chole, strain the chickpeas and pressure cook them with tealeaves tied muslin cloth, till 6-7 whistles are given out. Open the cooker when the pressure reduces completely and strain the chickpeas. Reserve the stock.
Transfer the chickpeas in a big bowl, add green chillies, ginger, onion, tomato, coriander leaves, dried mango powder, fennel powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, chana masala and cumin powder and mix well. Add black salt and mix well.
Heat ghee in a deep non-stick pan, add the chickpea mixture and a little stock and mix well. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Crush dried fenugreek leaves and add and mix well.
Serve the tikkis with hot chole.