31st January 2012

Ragda Patties – Street Food from Mumbai

This street food belongs to Mumbai and is very typically made . Ragda Patties has been one among my favourite street food.. and I cannot accept much alterations to the version served by the shop keeper where I have hogged for 10 years in my life. This post is very dear to me .. and I m bringing you the flavours straight from heart.

Flavors in this chat got to be very clear right from the patties(Potato cakes) to ragda ( dried white peas curry) to the green chutney & red chutney. And from the garnishing.. Concoction together, make a perfect Ragda Pattices.
Chat’s are something I can have when offered on anyday anytime.. Checkout my space for other chats like Dahi Puri , Sev Puri , Kala Chana Chat. Aloo Tikki recipe is mentioned below and also two other variation recipes .

PS: In this picture the ragda looks a bit dry. Its only for the shot.The content has to be flowy and hot.
Ingredients For Patties / Potato Cake :

Potato	1 kg
Salt	To Taste
Chilli Powder	1 .5 Tsp. You can increase to suit the spice
Corn flour	3-4 Tblspn
Oil	For shallow frying

Direction:

Pressure cook the potatoes . Once boiled well , peel the skin and mash them when hot. This will help us to get a smooth texture to the patties( cake) . Add in salt & chilli powder ,corn flour and give it a good mix.
If the potato variety seems a bit gooey , add some potato mash powder . This will help in binding the potatoes well.
Prepare a large non stick tava . Make round tikki’s by rolling the potato dough,place them immediately onto the hot tava. Drizzle few drops of oil around the tikki’s . Once they slightly turn brown on one side, turn them around . Drain them onto the kitchen towel to absorb all the oil.
Repeat this process with the rest of the tikki’s. I did them in a batch of four. I have also tried deep frying .
If you are looking for a variation in preparing your aloo tikki’s you can check the other two versions in my blog .

Aloo Tikki – V2
Aloo Tikki

Ingredients for Ragda /Dried White Peas curry:

Dried White Peas	500gm
Onion	1.5 nos
Curry Leaves	A spring
Green chillies	3-4
Cinnamon Powder	1/2 tsp.
Mustard Seeds	1/2 tsp.
Cumin Seeds	1/2 tsp.
Turmeric	1 Tsp
Lemon Wedge	2 small pieces

Direction:

Soak the peas over night ,at least for 8 hours in sufficient water with turmeric powder and lemon wedges. Pressure cook until they are well cooked ( or slightly mushy). They shouldn’t remain hard. .
Heat oil in a pan , drop in mustard seeds , cumin seeds . Once they splutter , add the finely chopped onions and curry leaves. Fry until they slightly discolour .Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt at this stage .This will quicken the process.
Add the cooked ragda along with any stock remaining in it to the fried onions. Else add sufficient hot water and give them a good stir. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and desired salt .
When the ragda begins to thicken , add more water if required and let it be in slightly flowy consistency. Turn off the gas and garnish with chopped green chillies.

NOTES:

The ragda needs to be piping hot while preparing the platter. The “ ssss “ … “ ss “ sound is often heard because of the heat and a combination of chutney’s with heat..
For variations ,people often use ginger –garlic or just ginger , some potatoes to it . Its entirely one’s choice.
But on using G-G in ragda , they leave a strong flavour to it. Why potatoes again ? When Patties are Potato cakes.

Preparing the Ragda Patties Platter:
Ingredients:

Pattice ( Potato Cakes)	2 Nos
Ragda	2-3 Big Ladle
Imli Kajur Chutney	2 –3 Tsp
Green Chutney	2-3 Tsp
Cumin Powder	1 pinch
Red Chilli Powder	1 pinch
Puri’s( Pani Puri) or Sev	2-3 Nos broken or drizzle some sev
Coriander leaves	for garnishing

Directions:
Lay 2 patties on to a plate. Pour over hot ragda covering the patties .Drizzle alternate of sweet and green chutney. Place 2 crushed puri’s on the top , sprinkle the powders and finally some chopped coriander. Serve hot right away.