Mogo Tikki Chaat

This Mogo Tikki Chaat consists of spiced cassava patties topped with an array of chutneys, yogurt, crunchy sev, and sweet pomegranate.

If you’re into dishes that pack a mouthful of flavour in every bite. Then this is definitely the recipe that you need to make.

Chaat is something that we love in my house. We’re huge chaat people, we make different types of it quite regularly. It’s always something we look forward to.

Even if we’re ordering takeout or eating out at an Indian restaurant, there is always at least one chaat course. I lie, there are more like 2-3 chaat courses as we’re a pretty big chaat-loving family!

Mogo Tikki Chaat

The essence of this recipe is simple, but all the elements combine to create something that is elegant, punchy, and bursting with flavour.

It consists of spiced mogo tikkis stacked up, or layered (whatever takes your fancy). Followed by a drizzle of various chutneys all over them.

But before the chutneys get drizzled on, there’s first a layer of cumin yogurt. Then we have a herbaceous, spicy coriander and mint chutney, followed by a sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

All finished off with crunchy sev (gram flour noodles) and pomegranates.

What is Mogo?

Mogo (pronounced moh-goh), also known as cassava or yuca is a root vegetable and a staple carb in many parts of the world. It’s something that my parents grew up with in Kenya, and naturally it became a staple in our house once they’d moved to London.

It has quite a distinct texture and aroma, which is earthy and quite pleasing. Though it is fairly neutral in flavour. If you were eating or cooking mogo, you’d know it was mogo.

Though it’s a root/starchy vegetable like potatoes, it is definitely very different in texture and flavour. But in instances where mogo is not accessible, potatoes can be somewhat of a substitute in some recipes.

Where to find mogo

I’m quite fortunate as a Londoner as our supermarkets stock a variety of products from different cuisines due to how multicultural the city is. So I’m able to find frozen mogo in just a regular supermarket.

Those same supermarkets also stock fresh mogo in the vegetable aisle too.

If your supermarkets unfortunately don’t stock either fresh or frozen, your next best bet will be a South Asian supermarket.

Mogo Tikis – what they are and why you need them

Tikkis essentially refer to patties or cutlets. They can be made from pretty much anything, though the most common and familiar one to most would be the famous Aloo Tikki. Aloo tikkis are potato based patties.

Tikkis can often also refer to a croquettes, and they often are in some restaurants. They can be made of potatoes, lentils, vegetables and much more. They’re also often spiced and then sometimes even stuffed.

Tikkis are then pan fried or deep fried, though they can also be baked and air fried too. This recipe uses mogo as the main ingredient for the patties, along with quite generous spicing to balance out the flavours.

You need them because

The mogo provides the tikkis with a totally different texture than potatoes. It has more of a bite to it, though still soft, and a lovely chew. It’s hard to describe the texture.

But if you’re a fan of aloo tikki chaat, mogo tikki chaat (in my opinion) is even better. That’s my personal take though.

What is Chaat?

Chaat is a style of dishes, originating in India that is often served as an appetiser. It’s a hugely popular style of street food that can be found across street stalls, markets, and restaurants.

Something that chaat has become synonymous with are the flavours and textural sensations within it. It’s often a mix of salty, sweet, spicy, sour, and cooling all at the same time. And texturally you’ve got soft, crunchy, and smooth textures all at once too.

Are there other types of Chaat other than Mogo Tikki Chaat?

There are a ton of different varieties of chaat, and the list is always growing as people discover new things they can ‘chaat-ify’.

I’ll list a few of the most common types of chaat below with a brief explanation of each one:

• Aloo tikki chaat – spiced potato patties fried and topped with all the chutneys and sev
• Aloo chaat – this chaat consists of fried cubes of potato, not patties
• Papdi chaat –
• Samosa chaat – this chaat uses samosas as the base (spiced vegetable filled pastry), occasionally along with chole (a spiced chickpea curry)
• Ragda pattis – this consists of two elements. Firstly the pattis which are essentially aloo tikkis. And secondly the ragda, which is a white pea curry. The tikkis are served on top of the curry along with chutneys and sev
• Kachori chaat
• Daulut ki chaat

And these are only a few of the different types.

Chutneys are key to making the perfect Mogo Tikki Chaat

The chutneys provide layers of flavour that bring this entire dish to life. Without them it would still be a good mogo tikki, but it wouldn’t be great. Nor would it be chaat.

The combination of chutneys also balance each other out, from sweet and sour, to spicy, and to refreshing. It’s quite key to have all those layers for a real flavour explosion.

If you didn’t want to make your own chutneys, you could absolutely buy them from an Indian/South Asian supermarket. Or even a regular supermarket if they stock a good range of South Asian products.

But I’ll be sharing my chutney recipes, which are honestly quite straightforward to make.

What you’ll need

The full recipe can be found at the end of the blogpost

For the tikkis you’ll require:

• Mogo/cassava/yuca – you can use the fresh variety or frozen. I like to use frozen as it’s far quicker and easier
• Chilli powder
• Turmeric powder
• Garam masala
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder
• Chaat masala
• Salt
• Garlic
• Green chillies
• Ginger
• Lemon

For the cumin yogurt you’ll need:

• Yogurt
• Ground cumin
• Salt
• Sugar

And then for the tamarind chutney:

• Tamarind pulp – these are often sold in slabs in a seeded or seedless variety. I usually use seedless but use whatever you can find
• Dates – these provide the sweetness. You can substitute dates for jaggery/palm sugar, or sugar

For the spicy coriander and mint chutney you’ll require:

• Coriander
• Mint
• Cashews
• Lemon
• Ginger
• Green chillies
• Ice cubes – this helps to keep the herbs green and avoid them turning bitter

What are the garnishes on top of the chaat?

I tend to only use two garnishes in chaat, the first one is sev. These are fine yellow crunchy ‘noodles’ that are made from chickpea flour. I purchase them from my local South Asian supermarket.

But feel free to omit if you can’t find them or if they’re not accessible.

I also use pomegranates as they add a lovely pop of sweetness and freshness.

How to make Mogo Tikki Chaat

Let’s start with the mogo tikkis

1) I’m using frozen mogo that already comes cut into pieces. If you’re using fresh mogo, this will need to be peeled, chopped and then boiled or steamed

2) First bring a pot of water to a boil and add the mogo pieces. You can also steam these if you wish

3) Boil until knife tender – a knife should pass through with ease

4) Transfer the mogo to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. This would be the perfect time to make the chutneys and cumin yogurt!

5) I wanted to bring attention to this particular step. After the mogo has boiled, check the pieces for any of these tough fibrous stems. This is the best time to remove them, they will peel off with ease

6) After the mogo has cooled, transfer to a large mixing bowl

7) Then roughly mash, we don’t want it to be totally smooth. This will give us even more texture, which is definitely a win

8) Add some minced garlic, ginger, and green chillies

9) Also add the spices as well as the salt

10+11) Then add some finely sliced coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice

12) Mix everything together, I find that clean hands are the best tool here

13) Take around 3tbsp of the mash and form into small patties – these are our tikki shape. Though you could absolutely make these larger if you wish

14) Pan fry the tikkis until golden brown and crispy on the underside. And then flip over and repeat

15) Once they’re golden brown and crispy on both sides, you’re good to plate up

For the tamarind chutney

1) Start by placing the tamarind and dates in a heat resistant mixing bowl

2) Pour over boiling water and allow to stand for 20 minutes. This gives you more than enough time to make the coriander and mint chutney as well as the cumin yogurt. We’re all about multi tasking and saving time over here

3) After 20 minutes the tamarind and dates will have softened. If you used seeded tamarind, now would be a good time to remove any seeds that you can see

4) Next, transfer the mixture to a blender jug along with the soaking liquid and blitz until smooth

5) This won’t take long at all to blend as the dates and tamarind have softened

6) Then pour through a sieve into a saucepan

7) Passing through the sieve helps to remove any fibrous parts of the dates and tamarind. Thus creating a smoother chutney

8) Give the blender jug a little rinse with some water and pour into the saucepan. No wastage I say

9) Simmer the chutney over a medium/medium-high heat. It can bubble so I’d advise keeping an eye on it. This is a good time to add some jaggery or sugar if you prefer the chutney on the sweeter side. I like a stronger tamarind flavour and less sweetness so I personally don’t add any more sugar

10) Simmer until it reduces and thickens ever so slightly. It will also deepen in colour. Then season with salt and leave aside to cool completely

For the coriander and mint chutney

1) Simply place all the ingredients into a blender jug

2) And then blend. It may initially require a few scrape downs and then blending again

3) But it will become completely smooth and very green

4) It will have the perfect consistency for chutney

For the cumin yogurt

1+2) Simply whisk together the yogurt, cumin, salt and sugar. That’s it, honestly.

And finally we can assemble the Mogo Tikki Chaat

1) This is best to plate right before serving. Place as many as you like on to your serving plate

2) And then top with the yogurt, coriander and mint chutney, the tamarind chutney, some sev, and finally some pomegranates

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

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Until then, happy cooking!