These bronzed crispy spiced potato patties, or aloo tikki in Urdu and Hindi, take me back to my school years in Lahore. We used to queue for Apa’s aloo tikki from the school tuck shop owner: they were all neatly placed in the center of warm naan and folded up for a mobile snack during recess. This street food-style snack – enjoyed from Pakistan to India to Bangladesh – pairs beautifully with a late afternoon cup of chai, as a side dish with the morning eggs (stir over, hash browns), or with a glass of bubbly during cocktail hour. Scented with fresh cilantro, mint and cumin seeds, dip the fritters in fiery hari (green) chutney to enjoy them fully.
This recipe calls for cayenne pepper, but if you want more heat, use the ground red chili powder you find in South Asian supermarkets. It’s worth buying rice flour as it really gives a great crunch, but all purpose flour will work.Shayma Owaise Saadat