Ragda Patties

Living here in the states the things I miss the most are the chaats and the road side foods abundantly found at the end of most streets in Mumbai..In the area where I grew up we had a guy who made Pav bhaji(with the longest line), second was the Dosa wala, who created the made to order dosas, a sandwich wala and then finally our Chaat wala bhaiya who had the jhatpat stuff which disappeared in seconds. :) Pani puri, sev puris, bhels, Dahi wadas and Ragda Patties)
I keep trying out the pani puri and sev puris everytime I see it in a new chaat house here hoping that one day I will find one that will make me miss the one in Mumbai less...no luck yet. :( not even one has come close...

Any ways to cut my story short...the hubby recently all of a sudden remebered how much he loves Ragda patties, so I finally took the plunge and tried it and it turned out great! So here am I posting its recipe for all my fellow chaat lovers!

Ragda Patties

Prep time: 1hour, cooking time 25 minutes ;Serves 2-3

For Ragda
1.5 cups white peas(aka Vatana)
1-2 green chillies
2 tsp whole cumin seeds(jeera)
1-2 tsp dhana jeera powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp haldi powder
½ tsp chole Masala powder(optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
salt to taste

For the Potato Patties
3 Russet boiled potatoes, peeled and mashed
1 tsp whole jeera
1 tsp haldi
2 tsp dhana jeeru powder
1 tsp garam Masala
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp chaat Masala
4-5 Curry leaves—rougly chopped as small as possible(Trust me these extra additions give the bland patties sooo much flavour!)
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
finely chopped coriander leaves(Kotmir)
2 tsp amchur powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil to make smooth patties

For Garnishing:
Green chutney (Recipe coming soon)
Date-Tamarind chutney(Khajur amli) (Recipe coming soon)
1 small onion finely chopped
Finely chopped kotmir

Method:
To make Ragda:

1. Soak the dried peas overnight with enough water, as they will expand double their original size after re-hydrating overnight.
   
2. The next morning drain excess water if any and wash them 2-3 times to remove any unwanted particles.


3. Then pressure cook with 1-2 cups water (or you can also cook on stove top.) Cook for 1-2 whistles and let it stand till cool. This step will allow the peas to cook in the heat trapped in the cooker till they will be perfectly done. The peas should be tender but not mushy. Drain and retain the boiled chana water.


4. To make Ragda gravy:Heat oil in a pot and when heated add the jeera seeds till they sizzle. Then add the ginger garlic paste and finely chopped green chillies and onions and fry for a few minutes. Then add all the Masalas (turmeric, chilli powder, dhana-jeeru powder, garam Masala, chole Masala) and saute for a minute till well blended.


5. Then add the cooked drained peas, 2 cups of boiled peas water and bring to a boil. (Mash some of the peas to make the curry thicker if needed.). Continue to simmer the Ragda for 10 minutes or till of desired consistency

To make patties:

1. Take the mashed boiled potatoes and all the other ingredients for the patties, season with all the Masala and salt, and then knead everything together to mix well. Knead lightly.
   Then with the help of greased hands form round flat patties, making sure they are evenly flattened to get even browning.
   
2. Roast 3-4 at a time on a greased flat pan for shallow frying. Add about 1 tbsp oil and shallow fry the patties on a medium flame. Baste with oil to give them a nicely brown color. Then carefully turn them over with a flat spoon or they will break. Transfer to a serving plate.
   
   To plate the entire Ragda patties together:
   In individual serving plates add the patties 2-3, then add a generous ladleful of Ragda till the patties are covered. Then add a generous pinch of chaat Masala evenly followed by the green and khajur amli chutneys and then finally top with chopped onions and coriander leaves.
   (You can also add the sev like the Bhaiyas on the road do or even a few spoons of yogurt.)