Aloo Chana Tikki Burgers

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to enjoy Indian street food, you may be familiar with these savory, spicy burgers. Ordinarily, they are made with potatoes and peas and maybe carrots. I added chana (chickpeas) to the mix for extra protein and texture. YUM! My photo does not show what I would normally top it with, which is mint chutney! I’ll have to come up with a recipe for that, but you can find it in any Indian market.

One of the key spices in these beauties is garam masala. It adds much depth of flavor. You can also add some chopped green chilies if you like it extra spicy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes (I used Yukon Gold but you can use any kind you have on hand)

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas

• 1/4 cup flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free)

• 1 cup green peas (frozen and thawed is fine)

• 1 flax egg (1 TBS ground flax + 3 TBS water)

• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen methi leaves (see notes)

• 1 TBS garam masala

• 1 TBS oil (optional)

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 1/2 tsp hot chili powder (I happen to love Kashmirilal red pepper but you can use any kind)

• 1/2 tsp hing (asofatida)

• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Combine the ground flax with the water and set aside.

2. Mash the cooked potatoes with the cooked chickpeas until it is chunky but well mashed and mixed. It’s fine if there are a few whole chickpeas in there.

3. Add the flax mixture and the remaining ingredients and mix well.

4. Add love! 💗

5. Shape into burgers. I use an ice cream scoop for this, which makes the process much less messy. You want them to be about 4” in diameter and 3/4” tall.

6. Cook the burgers on a non-stick pan until golden brown on both sides. I usually use a bit of spray oil, too.

7. These store and freeze well. So if you love them you can make up a double or triple batch!

Makes 6 large burgers. Enjoy!

Notes

• Have you ever had fresh methi leaves? They have a subtle and fresh flavor that really adds a lot to many Indian recipes. You can usually find it in Indian markets. If you can’t find it, no worries! Just substitute with fresh cilantro.