Cauliflower Patties (Tikki) with Cilantro Pea Chutney
I have always loved the little vegetable patties known as tikki. Traditionally the most common ones are aloo tikki (potato patties). My mom is the tikki queen and makes many variations of them including some with paneer and greens.
The other night I had a friend coming over for dinner and less than an hour to cook it. With few ingredients in my fridge, I took a cue from my mother’s tikki experiments and pulled out what veggies I had on hand.
I chopped up a cauliflower, carrots and potatoes tossed them in the steamer for 20 minutes and headed to the shower. I had a nice bunch of cooked vegetables when I got back to my kitchen ready to go.
I have to admit, I wasn’t exactly on time. I was still pan-frying the tikki’s when my friend arrived but at least we didn’t have to wait that long to eat.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cauliflower cut into florets (about 3/4 of a medium sized cauliflower)
- 1 carrot (sliced into 1 inch circles)
- 2 medium potatoes (roughly cut to the same size as the carrots)
- 1/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp cumin (ground)
- red chili powder (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- 4 tbsp oil
For the Chutney
- 1 bunch cilantro (rinsed and roughly chopped)
- 1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 jalapeno chili (roughly chopped, use less if you don’t like spicy)
- 2 tbsp water
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Steam or boil the cauliflower, potatoes and carrots until soft, about 20 minutes. If using fresh peas, toss them in the steamer or boiling water towards the end, about 5 minutes before done.
- Squeeze as much water out of the cauliflower as possible. I usually just stick it in a strainer and push but you can also wrap it in cheese cloth and squeeze.
- In a large bowl, mash up all the veggies together.
- Toss in the spices and salt. Mix.
- Make small patties by rolling a handful of the mash into a ball and flattening it with your palm.
- Heat a large skillet with 2 tbsp of oil.
- Pan fry the patties in batches on medium heat. Cook until golden brown on both sides. About 5 minutes each side.
For the Chutney
- Toss all the ingredients into a blender and puree. Try to use as little water as possible to avoid a runny chutney.
Notes:
Serve with sliced baguette or rolls. Peas are not traditional in a chutney, but they add some protein and creaminess.
