Tandoori Aloo | Aloo Tikka

Prepping Potatoes

1. Rinse the potatoes very well. Brush or scrub the mud etc from them.
2. First parboil or half cook/par-cook the baby potatoes.
3. If pressure cooking, then on medium to medium-high heat pressure cook for 1 whistle adding water almost covering the potatoes in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker.
4. When the pressure falls naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid.
5. Drain all the water from the par-cooked potatoes very well.
6. Keep the half-cooked potatoes on a plate or tray. Let them become warm.
7. When warm, peel each one of them. Halve them if they are larger in size. Set aside.
8. You could opt to cook baby potatoes in a pan on the stovetop or steam them in the Instant Pot.

Making Yogurt Marination

1. Take greek yogurt or thick curd or hung curd in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the following spices and herbs - ginger-garlic paste, carom seeds, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder, chaat masala powder, coriander powder, dry fenugreek leaves, turmeric powder and black salt or regular salt as required.
3. Mix very well.
4. Now add light cream and gram flour. Again mix very well.
5. You can also add 1 to 2 drops of natural color orange extract. This is optional.
6. Mix again very well.
7. Check the taste of the marination and add more black salt or regular salt if required.
8. Now add the peeled par-cooked potatoes in the yogurt marination.
9. Mix very well. Cover and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or for a couple of hours.

Grilling Tandoori Aloo In Oven

1. Thread the potatoes on a bamboo skewer and place them on a baking tray which has been lined with a foil or parchment paper.
2. Place the tray in the oven which has been preheated at 250 degrees C/482 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Grill the aloo tikka at the same temperature of 250 degrees Celsius/482 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or till the potatoes become golden with a few charred spots.
3. Whilst baking, remove the potatoes once or twice. Turn over the skewers and brush lightly with some oil.

Pan frying aloo tikka

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil or as required in a shallow frying pan or skillet.
2. Coat each tikka with the marination and place them in the hot oil. You can fry in batches too.
3. Pan fry on a medium-low to medium heat.
4. When one side becomes slightly crisp and cooked, turn each potato piece and fry their other sides.
5. Fry till the potatoes become crisp and the marination masala coating the potatoes, has also become crisp and golden.
6. Place aloo tikka on a kitchen paper towel.
7. Serve the Tandoori Aloo with mint chutney accompanied with onion and lemon slices. You can also sprinkle some chaat masala on top of the Aloo Tikka while serving.