Sweet Dreams Are Made of These...: Ragda Patties

It's been a while since I made ragda patties. Last time, my friend, Maryum, asked me for the recipe and I completely forgot to send it to her. My aplogies, Maryum. Today's post is for you. Hope you like it. :)

Ragda Patties (pronounced pattice) is a popular snack from Mumbai. The first time I had it was on my birthday, four years ago when I was visiting Mumbai for my cousin's engagement. It is super super yummy and easy to make. There are many ways to make it. Here is my take on the dish...

Ingredients:

For Ragda

4 cups of dried white peas or chickpeas

2 tbsp oil

2 black cardamoms

2 cloves

2 pieces of dried red chilies, broken in half

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, pureed

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped

A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

3 tbsp chana masala

3 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp dried mango powder (aamchur)

Salt to taste

For Patties (or Pattice)

3 large potatoes

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp chaat masala

1 tbsp dried mango powder

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

For Green Chutney

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 tsp pomegranate seeds powder

2 Serrano peppers (or more if you want it to be really spicy)

1/2 cup yogurt

Salt to taste

For garnish

Onions, finely chopped

Cilantro leaves, chopped

Aloo bhujia (A crisp snack, available in any Indian store)

Green chutney
Chaat Masala

Method:

1. Boil the chickpeas. I actually didn't soak them overnight and pressure cooked them for half an hour on medium heat. It worked just fine. I guess soaking them overnight would make it cook faster but if you forgot, it's still okay :)

2. While the chickpeas are boiling, cook the gravy. In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, dried red chilies and bay leaf. Then add a pinch of asafoetida.

3. Cook for a few seconds, making sure not to burn any of the spices. Add ginger, garlic and Serrano pepper. Cook for a few seconds.

4. Add onions and cook until it turns transparent. Then add garam masala, chana masala, dried mango powder and salt.

5. Now add the pureed tomatoes.

6. Mix the puree with the onions and cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. The oil will eventually begin to separate.

7. By the time the gravy is properly cooked, it would've reduced. Once the gravy is done, add it to the chickpeas with paprika and your ragda is ready. Remember, don't make the ragda too soupy. We're not going to eat it with rice so make sure it is a thick gravy. Simmer the ragda for as long as it takes to reach desired consistency.

8. While the ragda simmers, boil potatoes and mash them. Add garam masala, dried mango powder, chaat masala, red chili flakes, garlic powder, corn starch, salt and pepper. Mix everything. You may add a pepper to this but I think it gets too spicy so I didn't add it. It does add a nicer flavor to the mix though.

9. Add cilantro leaves and mix.

10. Create 3 inch round balls. Press them between your palms to make them slightly flat so they can be shallow fried easily. Take a look at the picture below for a better idea. These are called "tikkis" or "pattice" in this case. You should be able to yield at least ten tikkis if not more.

11. Heat some oil in a pan for shallow frying. Usually people use vegetable oil and cover the bottom of the pan. I use 3 tbsp of olive oil because I don't like the idea of it being cooked in too much oil.

12. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Keep checking the sides to make sure they don't burn.

13. Once they are cooked, put them on a plate covered with tissue paper and let the oil drain out.

14. Make the green chutney. This is the simplest to make. Add at the ingredients in a blender and blend away. Add water accordingly for desired consistency and taste check for salt. If it's too spicy for you, add more yogurt. You kind of have to taste check throughout to make sure it tastes just right for you.

15. Plating: This is an important step because you have to make sure it is plated correctly to enjoy the yumminess of it. On a dinner plate, place the patties. I plated this for my husband, so I put four. I put just two for myself because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat more than two. So this depends on how hungry you are.

16. Add the ragda over the patties.

17. Now pour some chutney over it. Most people would put a sweet date and tamarind chutney over this as well. I didn't because I already put dried mango powder in the ragda. I didn't need it to be more sour. You may add some if you like.