I’m sharing a recipe for stuffed aloo tikki today! Crispy golden potato fritters filled with tangy spiced chana dal.
I’m sharing the simplest and fastest way to make stuffed aloo tikki. You can cook potatoes and lentils together in an instant pot – in minutes!
What is Aloo Tikki?
Aloo tikki is a really popular type of Indian street food. This type of tikki is made with boiled potatoes, spices and sometimes (like in this recipe) it’s stuffed with lentils.
Aloo tikki translates to potato cutlet. These pan-fried fritters are both crispy and creamy and thanks to the lentil filling, they’re spicy and tangy and nutty too.
“This recipe came out delicious. Easy to follow. It passed the mom and dad’s taste test! Thanks Ashley 😊.”
Nicki
How to Make Aloo Tikki
Let’s Chaat Chat About How We’re Going to Make Tikki!
First, we’re going to cook the soaked chana dal and the gold potatoes together in our instant pot. Make sure to use gold/yellow potatoes for this recipe (they’re not as starchy as other potatoes).
Once the dal and potatoes are done cooking, we’re going to drain the dal and spice it up! We want the stuffing to be really flavorful – tangy and spicy.
Then we mash the potatoes and add some rice flour or cornstarch and mix until it forms a dough. The rice flour/cornstarch helps make the dough easier to shape and will also help in making the crust crisp.
Mash the Potatoes?! But Ashley, Aren’t You Supposed to Grate Potatoes?
To mash or grate? This is apparently a “controversial issue” when it comes to making tikkis. Gotta love a good food fight. 😉
After talking tikki with family and friends, I’ve learned that there is this notion that you’re supposed to hand grate potatoes when making aloo tikki because otherwise “the tikkis won’t be smooth inside.”
I’m here to tell you, that’s just not true. Mashing potatoes will result in tikkis that are just as good and way easier to make – as long as you mash them well, that is.
Get yourself a potato masher (and get rid of your hand-grater). And I’m not just telling you to get something you’ll only use once in a blue moon. I’m a city-dweller who understands the value of limited kitchen drawer space. I use my potato masher surprisingly often – to make tikkis, Pav Bhaji, Aloo Curry, Mashed Potatoes.
Just the thought of having to hand-grate potatoes is enough to turn me off from making a recipe. But my parents insist that I tell you that you can grate the potatoes if you want to, lol. 😂
Now that we’ve settled that…
Roll the dough into a log make 8 slices (or however many slices you want).
Flatten it, stuff with dal, roll it into a round patty.
And pan-fry! You can shallow or deep-fry. I usually shallow-fry and have listed the amount of oil I use in the recipe card below.
Just so you know, I tried frying these guys in my instant pot (the way I fry my Kadhi Pakoras) but it was too difficult to flip the tikkis in the IP which is why I suggest frying them on the stovetop. Much easier.
Look at that crispy, golden crust!
You can serve stuffed aloo tikkis with:
- Mint Chutney
- Amchur Chutney
- Tamarind Chutney
- Tamarind Date Chutney (naturally sweetened)
- Special Chaat Sauce
- Yogurt whisked with water and some salt
- Ketchup (spicy maggi ketchup – yum!)
If you want to make this more of a meal, you can serve this with chana masala to make aloo tikki chole or you can put a tikki in between a bun for an aloo tikki burger.
Or just eat them plain! They’re awesome as is. Tell me what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds yukon gold potatoes peeled*
- ¼ cup chana dal soaked for 3 hours
- 1 cup water
For Dal Stuffing:
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 green chili minced
- 1 teaspoon amchur dried green mango powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon fennel powder or fennel seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 3 tablespoons rice flour or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup oil I like avocado oil
Instructions
- Soak the chana dal for 3 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Add the dal and 1 cup of water to the instant pot. Place the potatoes on top of the dal. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 7 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.
- Using tongs, place the potatoes into a bowl and set aside. Drain the dal and put it into a bowl along with all of the ingredients listed under “dal stuffing,” mix well and set aside. Then use a potato masher to mash the potatoes (there shouldn’t be any lumps).
- Add 3 tablespoons of rice flour and ½ teaspoon of salt to the potatoes and mix well. Pour a bit of oil onto your hands and roll the mixture into a log, dividing it into 8 parts.
- With oil-greased hands, take one part of the potato mixture, flatten it and fill it with a tablespoon of dal stuffing, then close the potato around the stuffing and form into a patty. Repeat to make 8 tikkis.
- Add oil to a frying pan (or dutch oven) on the stovetop over medium heat and once the oil heats up, shallow fry the tikkis on both sides until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve with chutney or ketchup and garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.
Video
Notes
- *I suggest using gold potatoes when making tikki. They’re not as starchy as other potatoes and they make for sweet/smooth tikkis. The amount of flour suggested is for gold potatoes. If you use a different type of potato, you’ll need to adjust the amount of flour and they may not turn out as well as what you see here.
Miriam says
Hi Ashley,Can I make them two days ahead and keep them in the fridge?
Thank you
:/ says
Your food and recipes look amazing but I’m having a lot of issues accessing any of your videos or to scroll down to see the recipes because there are so many ads and it makes my computer sound like it’s about to blow up. Totally respect that you need to make this worth your while and you need to make money off of it, but I’m bummed I can’t try your recipes. Hopefully one day I can try!
Tanuka says
I am going to try this tomorrow and let you know, where is the recipe of your special Chaat sauce.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Tanuka! Here’s a link to my chaat sauce: https://myheartbeets.com/chaat-sauce/ I’ve also updated the post with links to my other chutneys as well!
Abby says
Hi Ashley,
Are these freezer friendly before the frying step? I was thinking to make it without the daal.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Abby, sorry for the late reply – I missed this comment! I haven’t tried freezing these – typically I don’t like the way potatoes taste after being frozen. If you try though, let us know how it goes!
K says
Was delicious
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that 🙂
Nicki says
This recipe came out delicious. Easy to follow. It passed the mom and dad’s taste test! Thanks Ashley 😊.
~Nicki
My Heart Beets says
Nicki, woohoo! I’m so glad it passed the parent test lol! That’s always the ultimate test for me haha. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Azra says
Easy to make and delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except omitted the green chili, and used red potatoes. Came out great!
My Heart Beets says
Azra, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you 🙂
NEHA JAIN says
Really awesome recipe
I have made it with a twist
I stuffed some vegetables blended with pizza seasonig in it.
You were my inspiration for this experiment and my kids loved it.
Maggie says
Can these be baked, instead of fried?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Maggie, I haven’t tried baking them but I’m sure it can be done – the texture may be a bit different and it won’t be quite as decadent without all of the oil, but I’m sure it’ll still be good. Please let me know how it goes if you try!
Krina says
My 2 yr old loved it! Super easy to make and delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Krina, that’s so great to hear! Love that your little one loved this! 🙂
Alex says
My boyfriend I thoroughly enjoyed this. I didn’t have the cilantro, but they came out great.
My Heart Beets says
Alex, I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you guys!
VK Sha says
Delicious! We ate this as a veggie burger for lunch. Thanks for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Bless says
Has anyone used sweet potatoes for this recipe and/or air fryer? This looks amazing, but I’m trying to come up with a healthier alternative.
Chandra says
Tried it in the air fryer preheated at 400F for 5 minutes and spray the pan and Aloo Tikki with olive oil and cook at 400F for about 17 minutes turning twice in that time. Came out great.
My Heart Beets says
Chandra, great to know it works well in the air fryer, thank you for sharing!
Brandy says
Is there a quick-soak tip for the chana dal? I made your chole (❤️🔥👍) but I forgot to soak the chana dal 😅
Savita Mishra says
Super yummy and quick!!! Everyone loved in family
My Heart Beets says
Savita, I’m so glad your family liked this so much! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out 🙂