Aloo Chop : A Pefect Tea Time Snack

Aloo Chop is a scrumptious snack recipe and extremely popular in Bengali cuisine. When we think of tea-time treats it is the perfect snack that comes in our mind. Our Bengali aloo chop is a snack made with potato and can be best described as a mini cutlet or croquette – spiced to your liking and batter-crisped to perfection. It is served with green mint chutney and tamarind sweet chutney. 

It is a vegetarian snack but the traditional dish is a non-vegetarian recipe and is a treat for those who enjoy eating meat. Traditionally cooked using potatoes, minced lamb meat, egg along with a melange of spices, and deep-fried in hot oil. But I will share a vegetarian recipe of aloo chop. 

Aloo chop is a snack that originated from West Bengal and Bangladesh. “Aloo” means potato, and the word “chop” means small cutlet fritters or croquette in Bengali. It is served hot and warm along with muri (puffed rice), green chilies, and sometimes sauce and salads. This tasty snack is also known as alur chop or aloor chop. It is also a street food in Kolkata. It has many variants in different parts of Indian but with a distinct flavor.

It has some variations like aloo chat, batata vada, and aloo bonda. Aloo chat is a deep-fried potato cutlet which is topped with curd, chutney, and sev. Batata vada is a Maharashtrian potato fritter. It consists of a potato mash patty coated with chickpea flour, then deep-fried and served hot with chutney. It is spicy in flavor. Aloo bonda is typically a South Indian snack. It has a different flavor like curry leaves, grated pineapple, and shredded coconut.

Aloo chop is a perfect snack recipe and you can start it by preparing the potato mixture, shape the aloo chops, coat in the batter, fry, and relish. The mixture for aloo chop has simple ingredients such as potato (boiled and mashed), ginger and garlic pastes, onion, few spices, and coriander leaves. The batter is made from gram flour with some salt and red chili. 

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Tips To Make Aloo Chop

• Boiled potatoes are drained properly before mashing so that they don’t become gummy.
• To make it crispy you can add rice flour and baking soda in the batter.
• In the batter, you can add a pinch of asafoetida for a nice taste.
• You can fill processed cheese in the center to make it cheesy.
• To make it healthy you can shallow fry or air fry the aloo chop.

Aloo chop is a delicious and nutritious snack which are made from potatoes. Potatoes are not only delicious, but they are healthy, as well. They are a good source of fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Boiled potatoes are the main ingredient in this easy recipe for aloo chop. It has a spicy potato mixture and patties are made from the mixture and dipped in batter and deep-fried in hot oil.

Aloo Chop Recipe

Ingredients 

For Potato Mixture

• Oil 1 tbsp
• Onion 1
• Ginger paste 1 tsp
• Garlic paste 1 tsp
• Green chili 1
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
• Potato 2 (large)
• Coriander leaves 1 tbsp
• Salt as taste

For Batter

• Gram flour 1 cup
• Rice flour 1 tbsp
• Salt 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida pinch
• Baking soda pinch
• 90 grams besan (gram flour), about 1 cup
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 large pinch baking soda
• Oil for deep frying

Method

For Potato Mixture

1. Boil the potatoes, peel and mash the potatoes.
2. Now heat the oil in a skillet.
3. Add the chopped onions and saute it for 2 minutes.
4. Add ginger paste and garlic paste; stir well then add chopped green chili.
5. Saute till the onion turns translucent, about 2 minutes.
6. Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, and coriander powder; stir well.
7. Add the boiled and mashed potato, coriander leaves, and salt.
8. Saute it well in onion mixture while stirring the potato mixture. 
9. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Set aside to allow to cool slightly.

For Batter

1. Add the dry ingredients in the bowl. Gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, salt, red chili, and asafoetida.
2. Pour in 5 tablespoons water in small additions, whisking well between each addition.
3. Ensure that the batter is smooth and that there are no lumps in the batter.
4. You need a smooth but thick batter, so adjust the quantity of water accordingly.

Making Aloo Chop

1. Heat the oil in a skillet.
2. Take the small portion of potato mixture and roll into a ball between your palms, then flatten to form a smooth disk.
3. Set it down on an oiled plate and repeat the same for the remaining potato mixture. 
4. Dip the disk into the batter and make sure it is coat well.
5. Drop off in the skillet and deep fry till it becomes golden brown. 
6. Take them out in a kitchen towel or tissue paper to drain excess oil.
7. Serve it with green mint chutney and sweet tamarind chutney.