Ragda Patties

Ragda Patties are a Gujarati dish. They are stuffed potatoes patties in a thick legume gravy.
For the write up, visit Weekly Vegna Menu.

There are two components to this dish:
The Gravy
The Patties

The Gravy

Begin by soaking 2 cups of dried peas overnight. I used green, but yellow is also very good.

Drain the peas and pressure cook them for 19 minutes, in water covering the peas by about an inch of fresh water. If not using an electric pressure cooker, add 7 minutes to the time to allow the pressure to build up.

Prepare the potatoes for the gravy. Dice them into small cubes.

To this dish there are two separate spice additions. The first (1) is just added to the cooked peas. The second (2) is tempered (cooked in oil) and then added to the cooked peas.

(1) Prepare the spices for the gravy. They are: turmeric, chili powder, chillies, ginger, garam masala, sugar and tamarind paste. These are added to the peas along with the diced potatoes when the peas are done.

(2) Also, get your spices ready for the tempering (cooking the spices in oil to release their flavor) of the spices for the gravy. They are: oil (I use coconut oil), mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.

When the pressure cooker is done, release the pressure and begin to temper your spices. Heat the oil (2 T) to get it hot and the mustard seeds and the asafoetida.

When the seeds begin to pop, add the curry leaves. They will sputter, so be ready. Cook for a few seconds until the aroma is evident.

Add the tempered spices to the cooked peas.

Now add the spices (the list with the tamarind) and the diced potatoes. Cook the gravy for 10 more minutes until the gravy thickens and the potatoes are cooked. If you need to mash some of the peas to thicken the sauce that is okay, but the pressure cooker should have done most of that for you.

The Patties

In the meantime:

Prepare your potatoes for the patties.

You will need about 1 kg of potatoes:

Peel and cut them into slices to make cooking faster. Cook them until they are very tender.

Now mash the potatoes or use a food mill.

Add the cornflour and salt to taste.

Mix it well together to form a soft dough.

Get your filling ready. You will need cilantro, mint, chillies, ginger, lemon juice, sugar and salt.

Grind the ingredients as well as you can. A mortar and pestle work best, but some great knife action and some patience can also do wonders. Blenders and food processors are the most difficult to use because the quantity is so little.