Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Ragda Patties

We were tired and hungry, all 13 of us, including the two extras!!

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I'm talking about a few (!) years back, when I, as a part of my school hockey team had won inter-district competition and had qualified for inter-state competition. We were in Nagpur for this event. The food served was less than appetising even to hungry 14 year olds, we made do with some vada pav available in the vicinity of the school grounds and were hungry 15 minutes later!

Whilst thus roaming aimlessly, we bumped in to 'A', the captain of the opposing team and a localite at that. Our team captain 'K' had befriended her in the short 2 day period. 'K' had a vibrant personality and could befriend anyone she met even once, let alone the captain of the opposing team! While K & A chatted a bit, we just stood there, hands in our pockets thinking about our next meal. A invited K over to her house and looking vaguely in our direction said, why don't you guys join in too? What! 13 of us? including the two extras? We were evil then, always treating the two extras with lesser respect ;)

But we more than jumped at the opportunity thinking of the food that we might get to eat at her house. Poor 'A' might have been alarmed, but she had already spoken, so off we went to her house, all 13 of us!

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It was a small 2 room apartment, the lack of furniture was more than made up by the warm welcome given by her mom. We sat on the bed in the room, a few of us cross legged on the floor, every one's gaze fixed toward the kitchen :) As her mom emerged from the kitchen, our gaze followed her, she said she had made Ragda Patties and asked A to help her get the snacks into the room. Our faces had a distinct smile, all waiting hungrily and greedily :)

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A and her mom got the Patties in a couple of plates and Ragda in a bowl, we all shared from those plates and devoured the whole thing in a matter of few minutes.

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It was a simple snack, sans grandeur, sans pretense! It is one of the cherished moments and I remember the scene vividly to this day! I guess it was the warmth which struck a chord, the taste of the dish was never in question! I will treasure this memory with me forever, it was one fine moment!!

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I never met 'A' after that, but the memory still brings forth strong emotions when I think of it :)
There is a saying in India, 'Atithi Devo Bhavo', which means treat your guests like you would treat God. I've never seen anyone leave my parents house without first having something to eat, that is just the way it is :)

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So in honor of 'A' and her mom, for thinking about us hungry souls, how about a plate of steaming hot Ragda Patties!

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Ragda Patties
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Lets start with the Patties, which on it's own makes a yummy snack to go with tea. There are various kinds of Patties, I make mine with just boiled potatoes. I do not spice up my Patties too much, I like to use various aromatic and colorful chutneys to do the job :)
Also I shallow fry these little bundles of taste rather than deep frying them and you would never know the difference, trust me on this one ;)

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Patties

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4 potatoes boiled
2 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp bread crumbs (optional)
salt, chili powder as per taste
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1. Mash the boiled potatoes well to a smooth mush.


2. Add salt, chili powder, bread crumbs and coriander leaves and mix well.


3. Shape into lemon sized balls and flatten to get the shape in the picture below.


4. Heat a non-stick griddle, spray with oil (in the absence of a spray, just drizzle a few teaspoons of oil). Add a few patties as per the size of the griddle and shallow fry one side till golden, flip, spray some more oil and fry till the other side is done too. Using a fairly large sized griddle allows one to cook many patties at a time, thus making this an excellent party dish and is loved by all.




Now for the Ragda recipe.
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1 cup yellow peas soaked overnight (green peas are not to be used for ragda)
3 tbsp onion chopped
Tadka: 1tbsp oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves
2 slit green chili (this can be easily discarded after cooking to make sure kids do not chew on it)
salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder
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1. Cook yellow peas till done, I pressure cook them which is the fastest & most efficient method in my experience.


2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida & curry leaves. Let splutter and then add slit green chili and onion, saute till translucent. Add all the masala powders and boiled peas. Add more water as per desired consistency and simmer a few minutes.
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For serving:
Coriander chutney, Tamarind chutney & Garlic chutney. You can find the recipes for all the chutneys here. These chutney's freeze well and come in handy with all the savory snacks!
1 onion chopped fine
coriander leaves chopped
lemon/lime juice
Fried chickpea (sev/ganthia)
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Arrange 2-3 petite Patties in a bowl, let hot ragda drip over the nimble patties. Sprinkle chopped onion and splash the three chutneys as per your taste, be it hot & spice or sweet & tangy :) Can squeeze lemon juice as per taste.
Finally sprinkle the fried goodies(sev) over it and enjoy a bowl of sizzling hot Ragda Patties! Have I perked your interest yet ;)



This is my contribution to Nupur's A-Z series.

My contribution to dear Archana's One D event :)

56 comments:

Jyothi said...

Hi Richa, looks yummy. Good Creativity also. Beautifl pics too. Thanks for sharing such a nice recipe.

Tee said...

Looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

i was thinking poor richa what's with 11 kids :)):)).

yummy patties!! i love the combo too.

Kribha said...

Oh Richa,
Ragda patties look so yummy. I'm feeling so hungry right now. Just want to reach through and get hold of that bowl. My rajasthani friend always mentions this name, but I have never had it. Will try this and surprise her. Thanks for sharing.

Richa said...

thanks jyothi! so good to know you enjoyed the pics and the recipe, do try it, once you make the chutneys it's a breeze.
enjoy

thanks tee!

thanks reenie baby! this is a very popular snack/one dish meal. the spices can be controlled by the amount of chutney, hence makes great food for everyone.
enjoy

thanks kribha, do try it! as i mentioned the chutney can be frozen and there is no change in taste at all :) i like to shallow fry the patties, some deep fry it.
enjoy

Aruna said...

Oh My Richa, ur pictures are making me crave for it right now!!!! WIll try it ur way :-)

http://themistressofspices.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Ragda-Petis aney saathey saras friends i company hoy to ketli majaa avey! This is one of my adored snacks to have esp. on weekends.....
your description of your friend A and her mom was wonderful.

musical said...

Yummy one Richa, do have my share too :)

DEEPA said...

mouth watering lady ..This is so yummy .I used to eat this often when i used to live in mumbai ...

FH said...

It's true,nobody leaves home hungry in India,at least at mother's and Grandmother's.
I wonder they still treat you like that,younger generation that is.They are more proud to have two jobs and no kids!!
Lovely to read Nagpur story and that Ragda patties are to die for.I will make it,it's almost like lunch!:))

Sia said...

thats the beauty of our country where even in a middle of night if guests arrive they will surely be treated like a king:) lovely write-up girl. enjoyed reading it. poor those 2 extras though;)
when it comes to street food, ragda pattis always comes in top 5 fav of mine. mmm....its been ages since i had these. gottu try it pretty soon. drool worthy pics richa:)

TheCooker said...

Loved the Nagpur story. Such is the beauty and richness of our culture: aagatya/ khatir-daari.The ragda-patties looks smashing. I'have made it in a long time.

Latha said...

Looks delectable Richa! and what a cute story!
Yummy pictures, feel like devouring them right now :-)

Lata said...

Looks Yummy. I make them in a little different style. I am glad to hear that you were in the hockey team.

bee said...

so how many people can i bring?

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Very nice write up, Richa... enjoyed reading it!! :) and your patties look lovely!!!!!

Richa said...

thanks aruna! yes definitely do try it and lemme know about it.
enjoy

thanks trupti! that's very true saras company sathey maja aavey! it's a fav at my home as well.

thanks musical! jaroor ji jaroor!

thanks deepa. that's right it's a fav with all bombayites!!!

Richa said...

thanks asha! i'm so glad my write up evoked such wonderful feelings in us desi's. as they say it is better to give than to receive :)
do make it asha, u will love it!!

thanks sia, yup all kinds of chaats are top on my list too :)
so true about cooking even middle of the night for guests without a grudge!! glad u enjoyed my write up sweetie!

thanks cooker! salaam to our culture, so rich! yup do make it, many a times we forget about some dishes only to yearn for it when we see it on blogs.

Richa said...

thanks latha! how about sharing them with a cup of garam chai!!!glad u enjoyed the write up.

thanks lata, yup i played hockey, did you too? how do u make it?

thanks bee!
i said my parents home, heh!heh!
jokes aside, u r welcome anytime :)

thanks ramya!
ur kind words made me blush!!
yes, those patties in itself make a good snack!
enjoy

Pravs said...

hey richa, you are killing me...looks soooo yummy !!

Roopa said...

oh my Richa just yesterday i was craving for some chat items so had decided to make this. only if we could even taste the food from our blogger buddies he he ... It is looking just yummy my mouth is watering :)

Nupur said...

What a beautiful story. The sharing of food is a spiritual experience, IMHO. Thanks, Richa!

archana said...

Really touched by A and her mom's kind gesture.Tashi Nagpur chi lok simple astat experience varun sangte :)
Ragda patties saras lagey che hee..ee. Is my gujarati correct? Ragda patties mast ahe, it is one of my favorite chat items.All the photos are looking gr8 especially one with sev.
Thanks Richa for giving such a tasty recipe, my whole day will go well dreaming of it.Will make it this weekend pukka.

Rajani Rayudu said...

Hi Richa,
Very yummy dish. Feel like preparing it. Nice photos too. Thanks for sharing.

cheers
rajani

Coffee said...

What a wonderful write up!!!

And an equally wonderful dish at that!!!! Its heavenly to just gobble up the duo together:)

Meena Raj said...

Hi Richa.. hmmm I could smell them. I have never tried to make them. I am pretty sure things won't stay that way after looking at the awesome Ragda patties that you presented here. Will sure let you know how it turned out.

Viji said...

A nice one Richa, Read this in Pooja's blog. Looks delicious. Viji

indosungod said...

one perfect snack

Sharmi said...

it was so nice to read your flash back behind the ragada patties. they look awesome too.will have to make them sometime. I am a great fan of chaat varieties.

Chinni said...

Hi Richa,Ragda Patties is looking yummy.Thanks for sharing.

Richa said...

thanks pravs, do make it an enjoy..

thanks roopa, i knew u were craving it yest, that's why made it specially for you today :)
enjoy dear

thanks nupur, glad you liked it and as they say more the merrier, food tastes better when shared!

Richa said...

thanks archana! wkndla jaroor banav, ani chatnya freeze pan karta yetat! me wknd la konti tari chaat vastu nakki banavtey heh!heh! glad u liked the pics, gujarati chan shikat ahes :)

thanks rajani, do try it dear! i'm glad u liked the pics, enjoy...

thanks coffee, yup that was one fine moment. ragda aney patties, what more can one ask for? heh!heh! enjoy..

thanks meena, yes do try it! it is pretty straight forward and one can prepare the final serving as per one's taste, that is the best part of this dish! do lemme' know!
enjoy

Richa said...

thanks viji, do try it sometime.

thanks isg, yup it can be a snack or a meal :)

thanks sharmi. oh! so you too are a fan of chaat varieties, that is good to know :) do try this.

thanks chinni. do try it sometime. enjoy...

Seema Bhat said...

Richa,
You were in hockey team? Wow... I have had these Ragda patties ample times but never tried making them at home. Your patties look perfect. Its very tempting girl. I am bookmarking it to try it sometime soon. Thanx
Seema

Shivapriya said...

MY all time fav snack. yummy.

sunita said...

Simply mouthwatering...loved the sentiments behind it as well...

Sig said...

Richa... you played hockey? Wow! Do you still get to play?

Loved the story... during my hostel days, we used to invade some dayski houses too... the poor moms had to cook for about 15 of us... never realized at that time how much of work that is :D

Cynthia said...

This looks like such a satisfying meal. I love the potato patties especially with some chutney. Yummy.

Isn't it amazing how simple meals make the most striking memories?

Thanks for sharing.

Arts said...

Same pinch!! :) Evn i have ragda pattice for R.. was good to read abt ur good old memories! :)

Richa said...

thanks seema! yup that happens with me all the time, there are some dishes that you end up eating lots of, but never get a chance to make it home, do try this though and lemme' know how you liked it.
enjoy

thanks shivpriya.

thanks sunita. yup some fine moments which you always cherish :)
enjoy

thanks sig! yup played a lot of hockey, not now though, that wud be a disaster heh!heh!
yup, always finding an excuse to go to a dayski's home, that was me :) but they too loved to pamper us :) have a great wknd sweetie

thanks cynthia! nice to know you too make these potato patties. and yes there's something about simple meals and that is why we always like to return to them in times when we need to be conforted.

thanks aarti! same pinch to you too! ur ragda looks good too dear! these chaat items never go out of fashion right?
enjoy...

Suganya said...

WOW...It is realy a great post....They are looking so mouth watering...Nice picture...

Suma Gandlur said...

Yummy Ragda patties.Will sure give it a try.

Vani said...

What a nice story that was! Yeah, we always treated extras as "extras" too! :)
Ragda Patties looks yum!

Anonymous said...

great great great recipe...great post...my kinda street food...lovely pics...thanks for sharing

swapna susarla said...

So yummy!!!

Unknown said...

Hi

I tried out your recipe tonight and it was too yummy. It reminded me of my years in India. Great recipe! Nice pictures too. Thanks.

Richa said...

thanks sukanya, so glad you enjoyed the recipe & the story, do try it sometime dear :)

thanks suma, do lemme' know when you try it!

thanks vani! so it was the same story with you too about the 'extras' heh!heh! enjoy..

thanks dilip, glad you enjoyed the recipe & pics.

thanks swapna!

Richa said...

thanks Vidhya! I'm so glad you tried my recipe and enjoyed it. I'm happy to note that it reminded you of the taste back home, really made my day. do visit often!
enjoy....

Priyanka said...

hey richa,
first time on your blog. love the date pop recipe. although my mom makes a slightly different version with walnuts too. long time since i had ragda patties. brought back old memories.

Prema Sundar said...

Ragda patties ... I wanted to do this for a long time but have not tried ... have tasted it many times but somehow did not have the chance to make it.... ragda looks very yummy... thanks for the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Richa! Isnt it funny how that one person becomes a part of your cherished memory forever, though you have just been around with them for a while. Loved your story and of course the menu on the table too!

Peri said...

Hi Richa,Your recipe looks yummy and i am sure taste yummy as well.
thanks for sharing this recipe with us.

mad-scientist said...

Nice blog...ragda pattis brought back fond memories of Mumbai for me, Can't wait to cook it myself :)

P.S. I'm no super cook like you :) just an amateur dabbling a little here and a little there :)

Archana Doshi said...

He richa, this is perfect for the monsoons which have begun in India. And its lovely recipe for the event I am hosting - I would love for you to send this recipe for my event - ONE DISH MEALS. Check my site or the link below for more details.
http://www.archanaskitchen.com/2008/uncategorized/monthly-one-dish-event-meals/

Meera said...

I am hungry looking at that Ragda Patties. Looks so good. Loved your tribute to your friend and her mom.

Roochi said...

yum yum yummy... mouth watering