Vegetarian mains
Beetroot tikkis with yogurt & cucumber dip
Tikkis are Indian spiced potato patties; they are a bit like a cross between a potato cake and a falafel. They can be eaten with a dip as a starter, or can be used as patties in a wrap, on a flatbread, or as a veggie burger.
We’ve added beetroot to our tikki mix – this is a great way to eat beetroot if you aren’t a massive fan, because the spices really accentuate the sweetness and disguise the earthiness. The fresh and cooling cucumber and yogurt dip is a fantastic accompaniment.
Cook's notes
Makes 6-8 patties, serving 4 as a starter or 2 as a main.
Ingredients
For the tikkis:
- 400g beetroot
- 400g white potatoes, peeled
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled & grated
- thumb of fresh ginger, peeled & grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground fennel
- ½ tsp ground fenugreek
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- semolina or rice flour
- vegetable oil, for frying
For the yogurt dip:
- 200ml plain/Greek yogurt
- ½ a cucumber, grated
- juice of 1 lime
Method
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Step 1
Bring a large pan of salted water up to boiling point and add the beetroots (whole and unpeeled). After about 10 minutes, add the potatoes. Boil until both the beetroots and potatoes are just cooked through. When they are done, turn off the heat, pour away the cooking water, then leave them to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins away from the beetroots.
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Step 2
Grate the cooked potatoes and beetroots. Transfer to a large bowl and mix together with the garlic, ginger and ground spices. Season with salt and pepper. If the consistency is too wet, add a little semolina or rice flour. You should be able to mould small burger-shaped patties that hold together and don’t feel too wet. Make the patties one by one, transferring to a plate and lightly dusting with semolina/rice flour as you go.
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Step 3
Heat a non-stick frying pan and add a generous glug of vegetable oil. Carefully place the patties in the pan and fry on one side for 6-7 minutes, resisting the temptation to turn them too soon. Turn them over and fry on the other side for another 6-7 minutes – you want them to be nice and crispy on both sides. You may need to do this in batches.
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Step 4
In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, grated cucumber and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve the dip with the tikkis as a starter, or fold into a wrap with salad leaves for a main.