Arbi ki Tikki ki Sabzi (Pan-Fried Colocasia Cutlet Curry)

My team members at work are absolute foodies and that is great fun as we get to talk about and taste different kinds of food. This recipe is from Nikita, one foodie colleague. When I tasted it for the first time, I was quite taken by how similar yet different it is to Arbi Fry (Chamadumpa Vepudu).

Arbi is a vegetable that hardly absorbs any flavours and it has quite a starchy taste. With this curry, the problem of the starchy taste is resolved because we mash up the Arbi and mix it with some spices to make tikkis and then again coat it with a different bunch of spices. As a result you taste on set of spices on the surface and another when you bite into the tikki. 🙂

Do give it a try and you will love it. I found that I could eat this dish just by itself as well as with roti or then dal-rice.

Serves: 4

Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

1. Arbi, Chama Dumpa or Colocasia – 1/2 kg
2. Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
3. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
4. Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp
5. Dry Mango or Amchur Powder – 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to Taste
7. Oil

Method to Prepare the Arbi 

1. Wash the arbi well.
2. To a large vessel, add the arbi and enough water to cover the arbi.
3. Pressure cook the arbi till it is soft.
4. Drain the water and let the arbi cool and dry out a bit.
5. Peel the arbi and mash it to a smooth consistency.
6. Add salt and 1/2 tsp red chilli powder.
7. Mix well.
8. Set aside.

Method to Make the Tikkis

1. Divide into 8 to 12 equal portions.
2. Roll each portion into a smooth ball.
3. Press each ball into a disc about 1/2″ thick.
4. Heat a griddle or a tava.
5. Spread about 1 tsp of oil on the surface.
6. Reduce the heat to medium.
7. Place the arbi tikkis on the tava.
8. Cook till the side of the tikki touching the tava is golden brown.
9. Flip the tikkis over.
10. Drizzle a few drops of oil along the edges of the tikki.
11. Cook till the side of the tikki touching the tava is golden brown.
12. Set the tikkis aside.

Method to Make the Arbi Tikki Bhaji

1. Cut the tikkis into halves or quarters.
2. In a wok, heat some oil.
3. Turn the heat down to oil.
4. Add the coriander powder and cumin powder to the oil.
5. Add the tikki pieces to the oil.
6. Sprinkle amchur powder over the arbi pieces.
7. Mix with a gentle hand till the tikki pieces are coated with the spices.
8. Serve hot with dal-rice or rotis.