Cumin gouda & cheddar tikki chaat with tropical kachumber

Ingredients

For the tikki chaat

• 1 large jar of cooked chickpeas, drained
• 85g extra mature cheddar, grated
• 85g cumin gouda, grated
• 2 tbsp chaat masala
• 20g fresh coriander, very finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
• 100g self-raising flour

For the tropical kachumber

• 200g mango, diced small
• 200g pineapple, diced small
• 200g dragon fruit, diced small
• 100g daikon mooli radish, diced small
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tsp lime zest
• A pinch of caster sugar

For the tamarind sauce

• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 3 tbsp jarred mint sauce
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• Plain yoghurt, to drizzle
• Sev or bombay mix, to sprinkle

Method

Start by making the kachumber. Dice the mango, pineapple, dragon fruit and daikon radish into small cubes. Mix them in a large bowl then add the cumin powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, lime juice, zest and caster sugar, along with a good pinch of fine sea salt. Mix well, cover and leave to one side.

Make the tamarind drizzle by whisking the tamarind paste, runny honey and mint sauce together in a bowl, with a splash of water if it’s very thick. (Make sure you’re using a tamarind ‘paste’, not a ‘concentrate’.)

Tumble the drained chickpeas into a food processor, then pulse to a thick coarse mash with a few chunks left in for texture (you don’t want a completely smooth puree). Alternatively, you can do this manually with a potato masher.

Scrape the chickpea mash into a large mixing bowl, then add the cheddar, cumin gouda, chaat masala, fresh coriander, spring onions, ginger, flour and a good pinch of fine sea salt. Use your hands bring the mixture together, ensuring the ingredients are well combined into a thick mix, adding an extra tablespoon of flour if it’s very wet. Cover the bowl and leave aside for 10 minutes.

Give the mixture another quick mix, then shape into 8cm x 6cm diameter round cakes. An easy way to do this is to use a 6cm ring mould, tightly packing the tikki mix in, then sliding out into perfect circles.

Heat 2cm of vegetable oil in a large frying pan to 160C. Shallow fry the tikkis – no more than two or three at a time – for 4 mins in total, turning every minute until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Be very careful as you turn them as the oil can spit! Drain on kitchen paper.

To assemble, plate up the warm cheesy tikkis with a dollop of yoghurt and a good drizzle of the tamarind sauce. Spoon over some of the tropical kachumber, sprinkle with sev or bombay mix for crunch, and enjoy!

Image: Sandhya Hariharan (Sandhya’s Kitchen)