Cabbage tikki is not something that my mother used to make. I discovered the dish from my Punjabi neighbor over an evening tea invitation. She used to make little heart-shaped patties with cabbage and mashed potatoes and one bite was enough for me to ask for the recipe. I have added paneer and cheese cubes for extra flavor, but the rest stays the same.
Recipe Highlights
- I find the cabbage tikkis are surprisingly crispy and quick to make.
- I especially loved the rich, spicy, tangy, and creamy taste of the cabbage tikkis.
- I usually serve them with tomato ketchup, although mint chutney works equally well.
- I only take about a quarter of an hour, from chopping the cabbage to putting the last tikki onto the plate.
- I had made some similar patties before, but nothing compared to this one, which was much better than my usual beetroot cutlet, palak pakoda, or even cabbage vada.
The Ingredients:
To make the tikki mixture:
- ½ piece cabbage (small size, cut into smaller chunks)
- 3 pieces green chilies
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.25 cups boiled potatoes (mashed)
- ¼ cup paneer (mashed)
- 1 piece cheese cube (grated)
- 1 tsp chaat masala powder
- 1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp corn flour (or rice flour)
To coat the cabbage tikkis:
- Corn flour as required
To fry the cabbage tikkis:
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (or ghee for a richer flavor)
How to Make Cabbage Tikki? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: Chop ½ piece of cabbage (small size, cut into smaller chunks) and 3 pieces of green chilies in a chopper. Then add ¼ cup of coriander leaves and chop them too.
Step 2: Transfer it to a bowl and mix 1.5 tsp of salt, 1.25 cups of mashed boiled potatoes, ¼ cup of mashed paneer, a piece of cheese cube (grated), 1 tsp of chaat masala powder, 1 tsp of dry mango powder (amchur), ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, and 1 tsp of red chili powder nicely. Then mix ½ tsp of garam masala powder.
Step 3: Finally, mix 2 tbsp of corn flour or rice flour. Mix nicely. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
(Pro tip: Make sure the mixture is dry. If needed, I sometimes use more corn flour).
Step 4: Grease your hand with a bit of cooking oil and shape the cutlets. Take as much corn flour as required and coat the tikkis nicely.
(Pro tip: I coat the tikkis with corn flour because it makes them crispier. It also prevents them from breaking while frying).
Step 5: Shallow fry them in 2 tbsp of cooking oil (or ghee for a richer flavor) in a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high flame. Remove when they are fried nice and crisp on both sides.
Step 6: Your tasty and crispy homemade cabbage tikkis are ready.
More Creative Ways
- I have substituted paneer with grated cottage cheese occasionally when I run out of the former.
- I have also used sweet potato in place of regular one, and the color turned out pretty good.
- I sometimes prepare these tikkis on a greased tray by baking them in an oven instead of frying if I want them to be less oily.
- In case I am making them for guests, I make them smaller in size and call them cabbage tikki bites and they get finished off the tray in no time.
- I have also added a tablespoon of grated carrot to the mix a couple of times before, and no one at home seemed to notice that there was some other veggie along with.
Cabbage Tikki Recipe Easy Fixes
Q: Why did my mixture become watery after step 2?
A: I faced such a situation a couple of times and later learned that cabbage contains water and it is released when salt is added in step 2. Hence, if your mixture becomes watery, you may add one more tablespoon of corn flour and go to step 3.
Q: My tikkis were turning out soft instead of being crispy. What went wrong?
A: It occurred to me initially due to the low flame while frying. In step 5, always make sure to use a medium to high flame and do not flip the tikkis before the bottom turns golden brown.
Q: How can I rescue my mixture if it is too spicy?
A: I had such an experience before and managed to take out the excess spice by adding ¼ cups of mashed potato (after step 3 and before step 4) to the mixture.
Recipe Card
Cabbage Tikki
Ingredients
To make the tikki mixture:
- ½ piece cabbage small size, cut into smaller chunks
- 3 pieces green chilies
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.25 cups boiled potatoes mashed
- ¼ cup paneer mashed
- 1 piece cheese cube grated
- 1 tsp chaat masala powder
- 1 tsp dry mango powder amchur
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp corn flour or rice flour
To coat the cabbage tikkis:
- Corn flour as required
To fry the cabbage tikkis:
- 2 tbsp cooking oil or ghee for a richer flavor
Instructions
- Chop ½ piece of cabbage (small size, cut into smaller chunks) and 3 pieces of green chilies in a chopper. Then add ¼ cup of coriander leaves and chop them too.
- Transfer it to a bowl and mix 1.5 tsp of salt, 1.25 cups of mashed boiled potatoes, ¼ cup of mashed paneer, a piece of cheese cube (grated), 1 tsp of chaat masala powder, 1 tsp of dry mango powder (amchur), ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, and 1 tsp of red chili powder nicely. Then mix ½ tsp of garam masala powder.
- Finally, mix 2 tbsp of corn flour or rice flour. Mix nicely. Let it rest for 5 minutes. (Pro tip: Make sure the mixture is dry. If needed, I sometimes use more corn flour).
- Grease your hand with a bit of cooking oil and shape the cutlets. Take as much corn flour as required and coat the tikkis nicely. (Pro tip: I coat the tikkis with corn flour because it makes them crispier. It also prevents them from breaking while frying).
- Shallow fry them in 2 tbsp of cooking oil (or ghee for a richer flavor) in a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high flame. Remove when they are fried nice and crisp on both sides.
- Your tasty and crispy homemade cabbage tikkis are ready.
