RAGDA PATTIES

RAGDA PATTIES

This is a common street food which is as popular in Mumbai as it is in Ahmedabad. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat abound with all kinds of street food and Ragda Patties is one amongst them.
This is made of two parts, the patties which are made of cornflour and potatoes and the ragda made of peas, onions and spices, which is poured on it.

The accompanying chutneys are an integral part of the dish and add zing to the ragda patties. Apart from coriander chutney, we use tamarind chutney but today I have used Dates & Tamarind Chutney. The recipes for the chutneys are also given below.

I have adapted this from a book by cookery expert, Nitaji Mehta. The ingredients listed are to serve 4,

Ingredients: 

To Make the Patties:

• Potatoes, medium-sized, 6
• Cornflour, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 4 tbsp

To Make the Ragda:

• Safed Vatana (Dried White Peas), 1 cup, soaked overnight 
• Hing, (Asafoetida) a pinch
• Rai, (Mustard), 1/2 tsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Ginger Garlic paste, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Haldi, (Turmeric Powder) 1/2 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Dhania (Coriander) Powder, 2 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin) Powder, 1 tsp
• Garam Masala, 1/2  tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Nylon Sev, for garnish
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, for garnish
• Onion, finely chopped, for garnish

Method:

To prepare the Patties:

Wash, boil and mash the potatoes
In a bowl mix the boiled and mashed potatoes with salt and cornflour

Make equal sized lemon sized balls and flatten them into patties

Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a tawa and shallow fry the patties till they are brown and crisp on both sides

To prepare the Ragda:

Drain the water from the peas that have been soaked overnight
In a pressure cooker, cook the peas with 1 and 1/2 cups of water for one whistle duration

After the first whistle, cook on low flame for 10 minutes and switch off the gas.
After the cooker cools, remove the boiled peas and keep aside.

In a kadhai, heat 1 and 1/2 tbsp of oil and when it gets hot add the mustard and let it splutter

Then add the asafoetida, chopped onion and saute for a couple of minutes

Add curry leaves and ginger garlic paste

Stir fry till onions turn light brown and the raw smell of the ginger garlic goes

Add turmeric, chilli, cumin and coriander powders and mix well
To this add the boiled peas and salt along with one cup of water

Bring this to a boil and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes

Finally add garam masala, mix well and remove from fire

To Serve:

Place 2 fried patties in a plate

Pour 4 tbsp of ragda over it

Pour a spoonful of green coriander chutney and a spoonful of tamarind chutney * Recipes given below

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped onion, and nylon sev

Recipe for Green Coriander Chutney:

• Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped,  1 and 1/2 cups 
• Green Chillies, 4, or to taste
• Lemon Juice, 1 tsp
• Ginger, 1/2 " piece
• Namkeen Sev, 2 tbsp
• Sugar, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

In a small mixer jar, grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste with 2-3 tbsp of water.

Recipe for Dates and Tamarind Chutney ( Khajur Imli ki Chutney) : Makes 2 and 1/2 cups

• Dates ( Khajur) deseeded, 1 cup
• Tamarind ( Imli) deseeded, 2 tbsp
• Grated Jaggery, 1/2 cup
• Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds Powder, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Clean and wash the dates and tamarind

Add the grated jaggery and 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles

Once the cooker cools, transfer the contents to a mixer and blend it to a smooth paste

Strain the mixture through a sieve

Add 1 cup of water, chilli powder, cumin seeds powder and salt and mix well

Use as required.
The remaining chutney can be stored refrigerated for future use.

THENGA, MANGA, PATTANI SUNDAL

THENGA, MANGA, PATTANI SUNDAL

Since my husband and his cousins spent a lot of their childhood in Madras (as the South Indian city of Chennai was then called), all his stories about the fun times they had there featured the pride of Madras, the Marina Beach. He spoke of the goodies they hogged there as kids and one favourite was a snack popularly called, "Thenga, Manga, Pattani Sundal" after the ingredients which went into it namely, coconut, raw mango, and white peas.

We make this particularly during the mango season when raw mangoes are available in plenty.

Ingredients:

• Dry White Peas, (Pattani) 1 cup
• Raw Mango, grated, (Manga) 1/4 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Lemon Juice, 1 tbsp

To Be Ground To A Coarse Paste:

• Coconut Gratings, (Thenga), 3 to 4 tbsp
• Green Chillies, 4
• Ginger, 1" piece

For the Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:

Wash and soak the dry peas in a bowl with sufficient water for about 8-10 hours or overnight
Next morning, drain the water, and once again wash the soaked peas
Cook the soaked peas in a pressure cooker along with a little salt and turmeric powder for 2-3 whistles or till the peas are fully cooked
Once the cooker cools, transfer the cooked peas to a bowl after draining the excess water. Keep aside.
Grind together coconut gratings, green chillies and ginger in a mixer to a coarse paste without adding any water
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds
Add the coarsely ground paste and saute for a minute or so on low flame
Now add the cooked peas, salt (as and if required), and mix well
Squeeze the juice of lemon on this, mix well and finally add the raw mango gratings
Toss the sundal so that it is mixed well and then serve