Step 1: Prepare and Cook the Ragda Base

Soak 1.5 cups of white gram overnight. Transfer the soaked gram to a pressure cooker, add 2 chopped potatoes, 3 cups of water, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Mix well, cover, and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles until the grams are soft. Keep aside.

Step 2: Prepare the Masala for Ragda

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, 2-3 chopped green chillies, and finely chopped ginger. Sauté for a few seconds. Add 1 chopped onion and cook until translucent. Then, add 1 chopped tomato and cook until soft.

Step 3: Spice and Combine the Ragda

To the kadai, add a pinch of turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, and 1/4 tsp garam masala. Cook for a minute until fragrant. Pour in the cooked gram and potato mixture. Mix everything together.

Step 4: Simmer and Finish the Ragda

The mixture will be thin. Cook on a low-medium flame for 6-7 minutes, mashing some of the potatoes and grams with a ladle to thicken the curry. Once it reaches the desired consistency, adjust salt, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with fresh coriander. Mix and set aside.

Step 5: Prepare the Pattice Mixture

Grate 4-5 boiled and cooled potatoes. To the grated potatoes, add 1 tsp salt, 2-3 chopped green chillies, 2 tsp crushed ginger-garlic paste, a pinch of turmeric, 3 tbsp cornflour, and fresh coriander. Mix with your hands until everything just comes together into a coarse dough.

Step 6: Shape the Pattice

Grease your palms with oil. Take a lemon-sized portion of the mixture, roll it into a smooth ball, and then flatten it to form a round patty (tikki). Create a slight indent in the center. Prepare all the tikkis in the same way.

Step 7: Shallow Fry the Pattice

Heat 2-3 tbsp of ghee or oil on a large tawa over medium heat. Carefully place the prepared tikkis on the hot tawa. Let them cook undisturbed for about a minute.

Step 8: Cook Until Golden and Crispy

Flip the tikkis and cook the other side. Continue to flip them occasionally until both sides are evenly golden brown and crispy. Once cooked, move them to the sides of the tawa to keep them warm and get crispier.

Step 9: Assemble the Ragda Pattice

To assemble, ladle a portion of the warm ragda onto a serving plate. Place two hot, crispy pattice over the ragda. Top with more ragda.

Step 10: Garnish and Serve

Garnish the dish generously with tamarind chutney, green chutney, chopped onions, ginger juliennes, chaat masala, fresh coriander, chopped green chillies, and a final topping of sev. Serve immediately.

• Grate boiled potatoes only after they have cooled down completely to avoid a sticky mixture.

• If the tikki mixture feels too moist, you can dust it with some extra cornflour.

• Ensure the tawa is well-heated before placing the tikkis to prevent them from sticking.

• After frying, move the tikkis to the side of the tawa to keep them warm and make them even crispier, just like street vendors do.

• Serve the prepared ragda with samosas instead of tikkis.

• Use the ragda as a filling for puris to make Ragda Puri.