Aloo Tikkis (Potato Pancakes)

Consider this my adventure in Indian cooking.  Or at the very least inspired by.  The are sort of like potato pancakes, with a twist and some serious heat (that can be adjusted to your liking).  They are made a little differently, but you could also think of these as a spicy latke, with a creamy mashed potato core rather than shredded.  The mashed sweet potatoes are paired with onion, jalapeno and cilantro, then seasoned with cayenne pepper, cumin and salt before getting a bit of bread crumbs to help bind them.  Finally they are fried to crispy and a served warm.

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day again so I took the opportunity of being matched with Trisha from My Hobbie Lobbie to explore some of her Indian dishes.  Trisha is a baker who makes beautiful cakes and other treats, but also shares a wide variety of traditional Indian foods, including breads and even a whole series of street food.  I've actually only had Indian food once, it's just not something I've been exposed to a whole lot.  So while it would have been easy to just make her Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones or Coconut Macaroons, I decided to live in the spirit of Secret Recipe Club and think outside of the box, pushing my normal boundaries.  So I swore off any of the baked items and instead went for one of the more traditional recipes.  I considered Trisha's Chicken Empanadas, Homemade Samosas and Chicken Frankie, but when I set my mind too it, I really wanted to try this twist on potatoes since I love them any way I can get them.  I adjusted Trisha's recipe by substituting sweet potatoes and adjusting the amount of onion to a bit less.  I seeded my jalapeno and didn't include the chat masala since this isn't a spice I keep on hand.  I used 2 Tablespoons of breadcrumbs, but I would suggest adding more, maybe bring it to 1/4 cup, because the patties kept falling apart on my in the oil.  Also, make sure your oil is very hot so you can fry these quickly.  If you can fry something fast, it will get crisp without absorbing too much oil.  Be sure to check out the rest of the posts from today's reveal by visiting the blog hop below!



Aloo Tikkis (Potato Pancakes)

2 sweet potatoes
1 white potato
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2-3 Tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup bread crumbs
vegetable oil, for frying

Peel potatoes and cut into cubes.  Place in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix onion, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin and bread crumbs.

Add drained potatoes to vegetable/seasoning mix.  Mash potatoes and stir to combine with other ingredients.

Shape mixture into patties.

Place oil in a large pan (Note: I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet), about enough to cover the bottom and come up about 1/4 inch.  Heat oil to hot.  Working in batches, fry patties in oil, a few minutes per side, until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot.

Makes about 8-9 tikkis, or about 4 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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