Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Aloo Tikki
191 kcal a serving, against 321 for the traditional version. That is 130 kcal off, or 40%, with 8.3g of protein. Serves 6. 50 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Heavy potato patties packed with green peas, bound with cornflour, and shallow-fried in a thick layer of vegetable oil until deeply golden and completely saturated with fat.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of vegetable oil down to 15g, and baking instead of shallow frying
Shallow frying means the potato acts exactly like a sponge, soaking up huge amounts of fat. Baking the patties on a wire rack allows the hot air to circulate underneath them. This dries out the exterior to form a crust without needing a pan full of grease.
What it costs you. You lose the deeply uneven, craggy, deep-fried crunch. An oven-baked crust is thinner and noticeably more uniform, lacking that greasy street food bite.
400g of the potato for 400g of tinned chickpeas
Potato is basically just water and starch. Swapping half of it for roughly mashed chickpeas gives the patty actual structure. It drives the protein yield right up without altering the classic earthy flavour profile you expect from Indian snacks.
What it costs you. So: a slightly grainier, firmer bite in the centre. A perfectly smooth pillowy interior anymore was never on the table once the fat came out.
30g of cornflour for 60g of egg white
Cornflour is traditionally used to stop the mash disintegrating when it hits the hot oil. Since you're baking these, egg white works brilliantly as a binder. It sets firmly in the oven heat and adds pure protein instead of empty carbohydrates.
What it costs you. You have to crack and separate 2 eggs, leaving you with yolks to find another use for. It also means the dish is no longer vegan.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 321 | 191 |
| Protein | 3.9g | 8.3g |
| Fat | 20.4g | 4.7g |
| Saturated fat | 2.7g | 0.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.2g | 30g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.2g | 4.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs.
The method is in the book
These baked patties still hit that craving for spiced, savoury carbohydrates, but they don't leave you feeling sluggish. Using chickpeas and egg white fundamentally upgrades the nutritional profile, giving you a proper feed. You definitely miss the deep-fried indulgence, and I admit that freely. But as a starter you can actually eat without ruining your appetite for the main course, it works brilliantly.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback