Leftover treat

Pushpesh Pant

We have one more reason to welcome the downpour. It provides us with an excuse to indulge in spontaneous gluttony. This is the season for deep-fried sinful stuff — pakora, samosa and the rest. But, indulge and the pangs of guilt begin to torment us. How to strike a balance between crunchy, crisp hot snacks and health consciousness? This is where this rice flake-crested beauty came to our rescue. To tell you the truth, it is like all great inventions — an accidental one. There was this leftover filling for a hara bhara kebab that, to begin with, was insipid, prompting us to remedy the mix. What we ended up with surpassed our expectations. A non-stick pan and an almost invisible layer of oil completed the job.

Kurkuri Hari Tikki

Ingredients

• Fresh green peas 300g 
• Spinach, a few leaves
• Paneer (crumbled) 50 g 
• Pounded rice flakes or chidwa 2-3 tsp
• Green chillies  2-3
• (deseeded, chopped fine)
• Mint leaves (washed and chopped)
• Coriander powder 1tsp
• Royal cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• Black rock salt 1/8 tsp
• Oil 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

Wash the palak and blanch it in boiling water for two minutes. Take it out and refresh it by plunging it into ice cold water immediately. Boil the peas with a pinch of salt. Blend in a mixer the chillies, mint leaves, spinach and peas. Don’t add too much water. Add salt and spices. You should obtain a thick semi-solid mixture. Add crumbled paneer and mix well. Shape into small round balls and flatten into patties. Spread chidwa on a platter and coat the tikki evenly on both sides. Line the non-stick pan with a thin film of oil and heat it on medium flame. Then, carefully grill the tikki in batches, turning these delicately with a wooden spatula once. Serve with green chilli sauce to enjoy the verdure all around.