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Floury potatoes boil in their skins, then mash dry. A spice paste of green chilli, ginger and roasted cumin folds in with chopped coriander, mint and amchur for sourness. Cornflour and gram flour bind without making the tikki gummy. Patties form, chill to firm up, then shallow-fry in shallow oil on a flat pan for 4-5 minutes per side until deep gold and crisp with a soft interior. The chilled rest is what stops them falling apart.
Dried urad dal (white, sometimes labelled "white lentils" or "split urad") soaks overnight, then blends with ginger, green chilli and a small amount of water into a smooth thick batter. Whipped vigorously for 5 minutes to incorporate air (this is what makes the fritters light). Asafoetida and salt season; baking soda activates right before frying. Fritters drop into 175°C oil; fry for 3-4 minutes until amber. Lifted into a wide bowl of lukewarm water; soaked for 10 minutes; squeezed gently between palms to remove most water. Plated in shallow bowls; flooded with sweet salted spiced yogurt; topped with chutneys, chaat masala, pomegranate, fresh coriander, a sprinkle of crushed papri or sev for crunch.
Onion bhajis are golden, crispy fritters made from sliced onions bound in a spiced gram flour batter and deep fried until crunchy and cooked through. The combination of chilli, turmeric, coriander, and curry leaves gives them a warmly aromatic flavour that pairs perfectly with cooling yoghurt-based dips. Freshly made, they are a satisfying vegetarian snack or side dish alongside a curry.
A stiff oil-rich plain-flour dough (maida) rolls thin and crisps in the fryer with the characteristic blistered surface. The filling is dry: boiled potato, peas, ginger, green chilli, cumin, coriander seed, garam masala and amchur (dried mango powder) for sourness. The pastry is rolled into ovals, halved into semicircles, formed into cones, stuffed, sealed and fried in two stages: low-temperature first to set the pastry without browning, then a hot finish to blister and crisp.
Pastry dough: plain flour, ghee, salt, ajwain seeds, and warm water are kneaded into a stiff oil-rich dough; rests for 30 min. Filling: ground beef (or lamb) sautées with onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli and a Pakistani spice blend (garam masala, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric). Frozen peas join; the mixture simmers dry; cooled fully. Dough divides into 10 balls; each rolls into a thin oval, cut in half to make 2 half-moons. Each half-moon forms a cone (one flat edge becomes the seam, sealed with flour paste). Cone fills with cooled filling. Top edge of cone seals with flour paste. Deep-fried 175°C 3-4 minutes per side until amber-crisp.
Gram (chickpea) flour combines with rice flour for extra crispness, with ajwain, chilli, turmeric and a pinch of baking soda for the airy texture. Cold water makes a thick coating batter (not pancake-thin). Mixed vegetables are tossed in the batter and dropped into hot oil in clusters; each one stays loose, with crisp tendrils of onion and the soft give of potato inside. Two batches: the second fry gives the deep-fried lacquered crunch.*