Spice-stuffed potato cakes

In India, the famed aloo tikki is a common street snack of fried potato cakes served with chole or chutney. This snack is adored; despite the carbs and oils, it is eaten with gusto. Here is a contemporary version of this snack.

The base is mashed potato with mild and lovely turmeric and mustard seeds. The stuffing is what makes these cakes superb. It brightens up the rather plain potatoes with tartness and herb, bright and bold. These potato cakes are addictive, and just a few are never enough. I served it with a lovely mild Cardamom sauce that complimented the cakes beautifully.

Another Ottolenghi recipe that is wonderful. The more I cook from the Ottolenghi cookbooks, the more I am fascinated and awed by the wonderful dishes from around the world that he brings to my table. For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb russet potatoes or other variety, peeled and chunked

8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 tablespoon oil

Olive oil spray

For the stuffing:

1/2 cup mint, minced

1/2 cup cilantro. minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green chillies, minced

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate

1/2 teaspoon sugar

To serve:

Lemon wedges

Sweet tamarind chutney

Add the potatoes to a pot with the water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes till the potatoes are very soft and mash easily. Drain and mash in a bowl.

Add the oil to a small pot or frying pan and heat on a low flame. Add the mustard seeds and fry for 10 seconds until they begin to pop. Pour over the mashed potatoes. Add the turmeric and salt, and mix the mashed potatoes well to incorporate all the ingredients evenly. Set aside in the fridge.

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing.

To make the stuffed cakes, take a large tablespoon of the mashed potatoes in your palm. Flatten it out and make a small depression in the centre with your thumb. Add a generous pinch of the stuffing to the centre and fold the mashed potatoes over to make a ball about the size of a table tennis ball. Set aside and repeat till the mashed potatoes and stuffing are over.

Traditionally, these potato cakes are shallow-fried in a pan. However, I am trying to be healthier, so I adapted the recipe.

Heat the oven to 375 ° F.

Spray a mini muffin pan with oil lightly. Place a cake in each spot and spray the tops with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes till the tops are browned, the cakes tend to puff up a bit. Remove and cool for 2 minutes. Gently remove the cakes with a spoon. Serve immediately with the accompanyments.