Potato Pumpkin Pattie served with Coriander Lemon Dip

Ah! Life has been pretty hectic and I am constantly pulling strings to balance the intricacies of personal versus professional commitments. As any busy women I am constantly looking for recipes that are easy to prepare, easy to cook, have few ingredients, and that of course tastes good. Since I am multitasking most of the time; this is the only way cooking can be done--at least at my house.

Getting a meal on the table on time every day can be challenging and even more when you like to try out new things rather than satisfying your palate with the usual stuff.  To accomplish this tough task, I use a weekly menu dry erase notebook to plan my menu for the week. My menu is not rigid and it’s usually not fancy. I take liberty to swap meals between days and try new recipes to make something that is easily available in my pantry. I even like to incorporate left over ingredients to innovate something that is good enough to eat as well as easy to make.

One such recipe resulting out of my experimenting spree is “Potato pumpkin Tikki” (Pattie). It is a recipe that gives an unusual twist to the original potato crisp. The trick is to use more of pumpkin and less of potatoes, just enough to bind the ingredients together for it to sizzle in the pan just enough to form a golden crust.

To keep it healthy, I have not fried the patties in too much oil. That’s the beauty of making your own innovations with street food snacks that are tried at home. You can make them very healthy for your family and still enjoy the deliciousness.

Here is the recipe of the "Potato pumpkin Pattie" with a twist:

Ingredients for the Pattie:

Mashed Potatoes- 2 medium Sized

Grated Pumpkin: 450 gms

Tapioca (Soaked in water):1 Tbsp- Let it soak in water to 2-3 hours to saturate the water completely and to make it soft.

Green Chillies: 2 finely choppe

Ginger: 1/2 tsp grated

Bunch of Green Coriander leaves: Finely chopped (I usually like to use a lot of it)

Whole Cumin seeds: 1 Tsp

Peanuts (dry roasted and coarsely pound): 1 tsp

Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

Salt: As per taste. Adjust salt according to your taste. You can also sprinkle some on top after the patties are cooked.

Crushed pepper powder: ½ tsp

Lemon Juice : 2 tsp

Vegetable Oil: 2 Tbsp

Method:

1.    Mix in all the ingredients together except the crushed peanuts. Remember to make it an even mixture. The tip is not to overcook the potatoes or else it will turn soggy and it will be difficult to shape them into patties.

2.    Divide the mixture into equal portions to shape them into patties. Rub your hands with little oil while shaping the patties. Flatten each patty about 1/2 inches (1 1/2 centimeters) thick. Coat them with coarsely grounded peanuts to give them a nutty crust.

3.    Pan smear the non-stick tawa with little oil (1/2 tsp oil) to fry the patties on both the sides till they turn golden. You will have to cook it on low flame to ensure the crispy crust both inside and outside. Alternatively bake at 250 degree for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

4.    Serve hot by topping it with coriander lemon dip and some beaten curd. Also sprinkle some roasted cumin powder to add an extra zing.

Lemon coriander dip is very easy to make. You just need to coarsely grind the below mentioned ingredients together to make this yummy dip. The ratio should be equal portion.

Peanuts (dry roasted and coarsely pound): ½ tps

Coriander Leaves: 1 bunch chopped roughly

Green Chilli: 1-2

Ginger: 1 inch

Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp

Sugar: ½ tsp

Salt: As per taste

Lemon Juice: squeeze of 1 lemon

So what are you waiting for go ahead and try out these delicious potato patties loaded with pumpkins which is definitely a twist to the commonly available mashed potato cakes or our local “Aloo Tikki”. Enjoy the goodness of the patties and savor the food for life.