A street snack from North India

INGREDIENTS

30 ml oil + extra, for frying
4 tsp cumin seeds 
a pinch of asafoetida 
100 g green peas, chopped fine 
2 tsp chopped ginger 
4 green chillies, chopped fine 
¾ tsp cumin powder 
4 tsp chaat masala powder 
salt, to taste 
400 g potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated 
20 g coriander leaves, chopped fine 
100 g cornflour

1 To make the stuffing, heat 30 ml oil in a pan and add 2 tsp cumin seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida, green peas, ginger and green chillies, and sauté until peas are crispy. Add cumin and chaat masala powders and salt. Set aside.

2 To make the tikki, mix grated potato with remaining cumin seeds, salt, coriander leaves and cornflour. Stuff portions of the potato mixture with the stuffing, and make tikkis.

3 Deep-fry tikkis in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot.

Dal Kachori ( Lentil puffs )

3/4th cup skinless dried black beans (urad)
4 cups Flour (atta)
1 green chili chopped
1/2tsp Salt
Oil for deep frying
1tbsp anise seeds (Saunf)
1tsp coriander seeds
1tsp white cumin seeds
1/2tsp red chili powder
1/4th tsp asafoetida powder

Preparation:

Soak the beans in water overnight then rinse and drain.Sift the flour and gradually add enough water to make soft dough. Cover the dough with damp cloth and leave for 30 minutes. Grind the drained beans with the chili powder, salt and spices to make stuffing. Mix well and divide it into 16 equal portions. Divide the dough into 16, using wet hands, and smear each portion with a little oil.Flatten and roll out into 2inch round.Wrap one portion of stuffing in each round and roll into a smooth ball, using greased hands. Flatten and roll into a 3-4 inch round.Heat plenty of oil in a deep frying pan or a kadhai.Now lift the rolled kachori and carefully slip it into the hot oil. Immediately start flickering hot oil over the top of it with a spatula so that it will swell up like a ball. This should take only a few seconds. Flip the kachori over and cook the other side until golden brown.Serve the dal kachori hot with chutney.