Aloo Oats Tikki
- 15 min prep
- 50 min
- Pan-fry
- Serves 4
- 325 kcal
- 6.5 g protein
Spiced mashed potato with a crunchy coat of oats instead of breadcrumbs. Eat it straight off the tawa or build it into chaat with curd and chutneys.
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes (500 g), boiled, peeled and cooled
- ½ cup (45 g) quick oats, powdered, for the mixture
- ¾ cup (65 g) quick oats, for coating
- 1 small onion (60 g), very finely chopped
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp amchur
- Salt, to taste
- 3 tbsp (24 g) cornflour, whisked with 5 tbsp water
- 2½ tbsp (37 ml) oil, for shallow-frying
Method
- 1Grate or mash the cold boiled potatoes into a smooth mass with no lumps. Cold potatoes give a firmer, less sticky tikki.
- 2Add the powdered oats, onion, chillies, ginger, coriander, spices and salt. Mix with your hand until evenly seasoned, then taste and adjust salt and amchur.
- 3Cover and chill the mixture for 15 minutes so the oat powder can soak up moisture.
- 4Divide into 8 portions. Roll each into a ball and press into a 1.5 cm thick patty with smooth edges.
- 5Dip each tikki into the cornflour slurry, let the excess drip off, then press it into the coating oats on both sides.
- 6Heat a heavy tawa on medium and add 1 tbsp oil. Place the tikkis in and leave them alone for 4 minutes, until the base is deep golden.
- 7Add a little more oil around the edges, flip, and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes until equally crisp. Drain on a rack.
Notes from the Department
- Boil the potatoes in their skins and let them cool completely, or even refrigerate them overnight. Less water means crisper tikkis.
- Air fryer: spray or brush with oil and cook at 200°C for 14-15 minutes, flipping at the 8-minute mark.
- For chaat, top hot tikkis with whisked curd, green chutney, tamarind chutney, onion, sev and a pinch of chaat masala.
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 325 kcal
- Protein
- 6.5 g
- Carbohydrate
- 52 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 5.9 g
- Sugars
- 2.2 g
Why this works
Street-side aloo tikki is crisp because it sits in a slick of oil on a giant tawa for a long time. At home, we get the crunch from the coating instead. Quick oats pressed onto a cornflour-wet surface turn into a lacy, golden shell in a couple of tablespoons of oil. A little powdered oats inside also helps: it soaks up the potato's moisture so the tikki holds together without bread or maida.
The other secret is patience. Put the tikki on a hot tawa and do not touch it until a crust forms. Flip too early and it tears. Flip on time and it releases cleanly.
Swaps
Add ¼ cup boiled peas or a little grated paneer to the mixture for a stuffed-style tikki. No onion? Leave it out and add a pinch of extra ginger. Rolled oats make an even crunchier coat; pulse them twice so the flakes are smaller. This recipe has no wheat or hing, so with certified gluten-free oats it is suitable for a gluten-free table.
Serving and storage
Eat them hot with green chutney and ketchup, or turn them into aloo tikki chaat with curd, two chutneys and crunchy sev. Shaped, coated tikkis keep in the fridge for a day and freeze for a month. Reheat cooked tikkis on a tawa or in the air fryer for 4-5 minutes. The coating stays crisp; the microwave will soften it.
Questions people ask
- Can I use rolled oats for aloo tikki?
- Yes. Powder them finely for the mixture and pulse them lightly for the coating. Rolled oats give a slightly coarser, crunchier crust.
- How do I stop aloo tikki from breaking?
- Use cold, well-drained potatoes, chill the shaped tikkis, and fry on a properly hot tawa. Flip only once the underside is golden and firm.
- Can I bake oats tikki?
- Bake on a greased, lined tray at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, brushing with oil and flipping halfway. They come out crisp, though a touch drier than tawa-fried.
Inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
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