Holi is around the corner and in our home, chaat is a favorite during the festival of colors. This year, I wanted to make something different besides aloo chaat. With spring knocking, making tikki with fresh green peas that are already showing up in the market these days sounded perfect. Matar ki chaat is hugely popular in Uttar Pradesh (north india) and whenever we visited Lucknow especially during winters, it used to be on repeat. The street vendors use a mix of green peas and potatoes though.
Hare Matar Ki Tikki
Green peas are called hare(green) matar(peas) in hindi and hence these are also called hare matar ki tikki or tikiyan. Tikki = patties. Green peas give an appetizing green color to these patties. Tangy, spicy, crispy, with natural sweetness of green peas & creaminess of paneer, these are simply melt in the mouth. In my recipe, I did not use any potatoes, cornstarch or maida (all purpose flour) or bread crumbs for binding. These tikkis are gluten free. I use dry roasted besan(gram flour) and given how delicious besan is, so you can imagine the taste of these. They came out perfectly seasoned and flavorful. You can serve matar chaat at your Holi or Diwali chaat parties, with cocktails or as a snack. You can add them to wraps or make vegetarian desi style burgers. Once you add yogurt, tamarind chutney or green chutney, sev(gram flour vermicelli), spice powders etc, they make for a very satisfying chaat plate.
Ingredients(Notes & Substitutions)
Green Peas - I use fresh green peas. Available at Trader Joes. You can use thawed frozen peas as well. Paneer - Paneer is unaged indian cheese made from curdled milk. It can easily be made at home by curdling full fat milk with an acidic agent like lemon juice or vinegar. If you can use homemade paneer, it is the best. Else use any paneer brand you love to buy and crumble it with hands. We need a small quantity. I like using Gopi or Nanak Malai Paneer. Chaat Spices - Roasted Cumin, Chaat Masala, Kala Namak (Indian black salt, substitute with rock salt). Green Chilies :- I like using green chilies from indian stores. They are super hot similar to thai bird chillies. Substitute with serranos. The heat in the tikki comes from green chilies. Green Herbs - I love using few stalks of scallions for a mild onion flavor. And of course fresh cilantro. You can add fresh mint leaves too. Ginger. I love ginger and peas together. I add a lot of ginger, however you can reduce the quantity. Dont skip ginger. The taste of ginger in any peas recipe is irreplaceable and impeccable. They are a great pairing! Roasted Besan- Besan(Gram flour) simply dry roasted on low heat till its light brown and smells nutty. Lime Juice
See recipe card for measurements.
How To Make
Variations
Make Them Extra Spicy - Add red chili flakes in addition to green chilies. Make them Extra Crispy - You can coat these in panko or regular breadcrumbs and shallow fry instead of pan frying. Add More Veggies - Add grated carrots or finely chopped baby spinach to bump up the nutrition. Kid friendly - Reduce the quantity of chilies and serve them with ketchup. You can also add some grated cheddar cheese (1-2 tablespoons) to the tikki mix.
Serving Matar Tikki
As Appetizer or Snack Or Lunch box Serve matar paneer ki tikki with tamarind chutney, yogurt dip, ranch etc. You can also pack them for kid lunches with ketchup. They are amazing stuffed in wraps, sandwiches, burgers etc. I love them with evening chai. Make Chaat Top tikkis with sweet yogurt, green and tamarind chutneys, sev, chopped onion, spice powders like chaat masala & roasted cumin powder, nylon sev, pomegranate arils to make a delicious chaat.
My Tips & Suggestions
Make sure that the peas are dry before you process them. Watery peas = tikki dough will be soft and sticky. If the dough feels quite soft, add a little extra besan. Similarly if you are using homemade crumbled paneer, squeeze out the whey as much as possible. Dont make a too coarse or too fine paste of peas. Coarse paste - tikki will not hold shape/will break. Fine paste- the tikki mixture will be sticky and difficult to work with. I grind at low speed and then pulse the food processor towards the end. If you do not have food processor, blend peas in your mixer grinder/blender in the same fashion. Grind on low speed, check and then grind at short intervals to desired texture. Due to paneer, these tikki get a little soft during pan frying, turn them very gently using a wide flat spatula or spoon. Don’t add very less oil during frying else the tikki will be dry. I use ¾ tablespoon oil per tikki (roughly). You can pan fry these in ghee as well.
