Potatoes, peas and mild Indian spices make up the base of these easy-to-prepare patties. Serve with a variety of chutneys, either as an appetizer or as a nice light meal with a side salad.
Peel and cut the potatoes into about 1" -inch dice. For this recipe it is best to use starchier potatoes such as russets.
Place into a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and bay leaf. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let cook until soft enough to mash, about 15 minutes or so. Alternatively, the potatoes can be steamed.
Meanwhile, go ahead and cook the peas.
2
Cooking the Peas
Ingredients
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 tsp sea salt
To cook the peas, bring a pot of cold water to a boil. Once the water boils, add the salt and peas and cook for about 2 to 4 minutes or until just cooked through. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside while you check the potatoes.
3
Checking the Potatoes
Once the potatoes are just cooked through (soft enough to mash, but not mushy), drain and add them back to the hot pot. Set aside. The hot pot will help to dry out the potatoes a bit while you prepare the rest of your mise en place.
4
Preparing the Mirepoix
Ingredients
1/2 red onion
1 inch piece ginger
1 to 2 green chilies (or serrano)
To prepare the mirepoix, finely dice the onions, ginger and green chilies. If you like things spicy, add both chilies with or without the ribs and seeds. Set this all aside while you mash the potatoes.
5
Mashing the Potatoes
Once the potatoes have dried a bit (but are still warm), mash them using a fork or potato masher. Do not use a potato ricer. This will make the potatoes too fine. By mashing with a fork, a few little chunks of potato here and there will add nice texture.
Transfer this to a large bowl and set aside while you fry the mirepoix.
6
Frying the Mirepoix
Ingredients
2 tbsp grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
To fry the mirepoix, heat a fry pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the oil, followed by the onions, ginger and chilies. *Note: If desired, omit the oil and dry-sauté the mirepoix with a bit of vegetable stock or water.
Let cook for about a minute until the onions just start to soften. Then add all of the spices and let cook for a few seconds until aromatic.
7
Mixing the Patties
Ingredients
2 tbsp chickpea flour (also called - besan, chana, or gram flour)
1/2 fresh lemon (1 tbsp lemon juice)
1 to 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
To mix the patties, gently fold together the potatoes, peas, onion-spice mixture, chickpea flour and lemon juice. If adding the cilantro, finely chop it and add it to the mix.
8
Forming the Patties
To form the patties, measure approximately 1/8 cup and form into golf ball-like rounds. Then gently press them flat to form even patties.
Once all the patties are formed, cover them with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Note: cold patties will stay together better during frying. The patties can be made several hours ahead.
9
Frying the Patties
Ingredients
3 tbsp grapeseed or vegetable oil *
To fry the patties, heat the oil in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the patties. Fry until golden brown before gently turning over. Continue to cook on the other side until golden brown and heated through. Once done, place onto a rack.
*Note: If desired, omit the oil and place the patties onto a baking tray lined with parchment and bake in a 350°F oven (175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and heated through. Gently flip the patties halfway through baking.
10
Serving the Patties
Ingredients
1/2 cup tamarind, tomato or mint chutney
See Below for Links to Chutney Recipes
Serve the patties either warm or at room temperature with tamarind, tomato, or mint chutney (recipe links below).
If desired, sprinkle the tops of the patties with a bit of chat masala (see note below).
The First 3 Are On Us
Help us grow by joining our list and unlock every recipe.
I am a "lifer" and yesterday I made your potato pancakes (above). I used one Serrano pepper minus most (but not all) of the seeds. It was plenty spicy enough for me (and I love spices). The recipe itself was delicious and I LOVED it!. Thanks for the great recipe!
I have added the recipes for the chutneys to go with these patties!
The recipes are at the bottom of this recipe and here:Tamarind Chutney: http://rouxbe.com/recipes/1894Sweet Tomato Chutney: http://rouxbe.com/recipes/1893Mint and Coriander Chutney: http://rouxbe.com/recipes/1892
Its not difficult at all to obtain chickpea flour from Main or Fraser 45th to 55 Ave (India/S.E.Asia Market) Safeway, buylow food and Superstores also carry it.
I do not recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe because when you eat you'll definitely feel (dense) floury taste in your mouth.
If you cannot use chickpea flour then simply bind these potato patties with breadcrumbs and/or eggs (you may use both)
Try both ways with all-purpose flour or the method I explained you'll feel the difference
Good Luck
Khurram
I have not tried it but I think you are right they may become watery if frozen. Your best bet is to try it with a few (cook them from frozen) and see if you like the result. Cheers!
Hi to all
I made these yesterday 6 patties 110 grams each looked great till went to fry them then they fell apart very disappointed as a lot of work went into the making but on the positive side the taste on what I rescued was exquisite I do like your site and I'm not being a moaner just need a bit of help and would like to make them again any tips
Donal, there could be a few reasons why this has happened...without more details here is my feedback. Perhaps the potatoes you used were not starchy enough. Also, if the potatoes are too big when forming the patties this can cause the patties to fall apart.
When cooking, if the patties start to fall apart try refrigerating them for 30 mins to an hour, the cold will help them to stay together better when frying. Another thing, when frying the patties do not touch them too much as this could also cause them to fall apart. Leave them to cook on the one side to form a nice crust and then gently flip them over. Hope this helps. Cheers!
may I suggest putting the knowledge of what could be wrong if they fall apart at the bottom as a note? mine are still chilling but were very hard to form without falling apart - I'm forecasting crumbling ;/
I've just cooked this dish and it kind of worked, although the patties came apart a bit on the edges when frying. Perhaps I didn't mix/fold the ingredients well enough in Step 7. As I didn't have the ingredients to make the chutneys, I served then with British-style mint sauce (not very orthodox - I know) but I enjoyed the taste.
Hi Alicia, Without seeing or hearing details about your method, I have to give somewhat of a shotgun scatter approach here... These are some of the critical control points in the recipe that affect the consistency. 1) Make sure you are using starchy potatoes and not rinsing them after cooking. 2) Once you drain the potatoes, make sure you get them back in the hot pot and have them dry out (moisture can be your enemy here). 3) After frying the mire poix, try not to incorporate too much of the oil from the process into the mix. 4) Make sure to chill those patties and fry them from cold. And, one of my best pieces of advice.... When you are doing something like this where it is labor intensive and cooking can change everything, make a patty or two and (after chilling) fry them off as your "test batch" before you portion and form the rest of it. It will save you a lot of work and tears! Hope this helped! Cheers, Sandy
Renee, If you want to omit the oil and bake these patties, it will work, but expect some surface drying and a different pattern of browning in a conventional oven. Give it a try and see how you like the results. Consider experimenting to find a result that you like. Otherwise, you can cut back on the oil and cook them as directed, in a pan. A non-stick electric griddle works well, too. I recommend some oil, even a teaspoon or two, for even browning and flavor development.
Hello everyone! I was browsing through the comments and can suggest few tips .... the patties break if the potato have excess moisture. Best thing to do is, after the potatoes are cooked, drain them and put them back into the same pot over a low heat and crush them lightly. keep for a minute on the heat and the excess moisture will dry out. Follow the remaining steps. If you are not vegan / vegetarian, you can add egg yolk to the mixture, this will bind it better. Also, in order to get an even golden-brown surface color, while shallow frying the potato patties, lightly dust them with flour. This will also give a crisp surface. I am an Indian and we prepare these quite often at home. Cheers!!
I’m so glad you commented Debrup! I was wondering about adding an egg yolk and the suggestion regarding the cooked potatoes helpful! TY
I can’t wait to try these. They look so much better than what is served at our local Indian restaurant!
