Rajma tikki - golden and crispy outside, fluffy and savoury inside with earthy chunks of red kidney beans and mashed potatoes. Make these Indian style red kidney bean patties within 30 minutes for a light lunch or side.
They're so versatile!
Rajma tikkis are a twist on aloo tikki. The idea is pretty similar, except I add in boiled and lightly mashed red kidney beans.
They're pretty filling when served with tomato shorba, a light green salad (dressed in my Indian salad dressing) or served with Indian mint sauce.
You can also go festive and assemble the tikkis a bit like a chaat - my favourite way is serving on a bed of cucumber raita, topping with nylon sev, pomegranate and green mint coriander chutney.
Serve them like rajma kebab in pitta with lettuce, tomatoes and sliced onions. Think of it like an Indian falafel sandwich!
Pop them into a burger bun and you've got yourself rajma bean burgers! Yum!
If you love this idea, you might like my sundried tomato and chickpea cakes too.
The Recipe Details
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The base of these rajma tikki is boiled potatoes and boiled red kidney beans.
The flavour is inspired by Punjabi rajma masala. It comes from a quick cooked masala of onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and basic spice powders.
I add chopped cashew nuts for texture, mint and coriander leaves for fresh flavour.
A little roasted gram flour helps with binding.
I've pan fried them here but you can definitely air fry them too!
Storage
Cooked rajma tikki will keep well for 3 days if refrigerated as soon as they cool to room temperature.
You can easily make these tikkis in advance and cook just before serving.
You can also freeze cooked or uncooked tikkis. You'll need to bake them or air fry from frozen until piping hot all the way through.
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📖 Recipe
Rajma Tikki
Ingredients
- 2 cup red kidney beans cooked and drained rajma
- 2 potatoes boiled and peeled
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon besan gram flour
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon ginger and green chillies crushed
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder amchoor powder
- 2-3 tablespoon fresh coriander and mint chopped
- 2 tablespoon cashew nuts broken/chopped
- salt to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon oil for shallow fry the tikkis
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, once they sizzle add chopped onion.
- Sauté the onions on medium heat until translucent, then add garlic paste.
- Cook this mixture until raw smell of garlic goes away and onions turn slightly pink in colour.
- Add besan and toast this mixture on low heat until you get a nutty aroma and the besan turns a little darker in colour.
- Then add turmeric, red chilli powder, ground coriander and cumin and garam masala. Mix well and turn off the flame. Allow mixture to cool down naturally.
- In a big wide plate add drained rajma and potatoes, mash it either with your hands or vegetable masher. Make sure there are no lumps of potato.
- Tip in the cooked onion masala, ginger-chilli, coriander, amchoor powder, cashews and salt.
- Combine everything well with your hands and make a smooth dough.
- Take a large lemon size mixture in your hands, roll into a ball and slightly flatten. Rough guide for tikki size - Diameter: 2.5 to 3 inches (6–7.5 cm) Thickness: ½ to ¾ inch (1.2–2 cm).
- Make all the tikkis and set aside.
- Heat griddle or flat bottom frying pan on medium heat, drizzle some oil and spread evenly using a brush or spatula. The pan should be hot but not smoking.
- Gently put the tikkis on the pan, leaving space between them. Do not over crowd the pan, you won't be able to flip/move them easily. Don't move them right away, but let them sear.
Cook the first side
- Cook on medium flame for 2-4 minute or until golden brown. Do not turn the flame on high heat, it will burn on the outside.
- Gently flip with flat spatula and drizzle some oil around the edges if needed.
Cook the second side
- Allow to cook the tikkis on the other side for at least 2-4 minutes or until evenly golden. Press slightly with spatula for an even crust.
- For extra crispiness flip once again and cook further 1 minute on both side.
- Remove and serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
I love how versatile these are, one batch and you can serve them as a starter, stuff them into a pitta like an Indian kebab, or even pop them in a burger bun and everyone at the table is happy.