Kabuli chana tikki
Preparation Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
38 minutes
Difficulty Level
moderate
Meal Type
Evening Snack
Serves 5
Key Ingredients
- Kabuli chana (white chickpeas)
About This Recipe
A tikki holds together by mashing part of the chana and leaving the rest whole: the mash acts like glue, and the whole chana give the patty its bite. This kabuli chana tikki uses 200 g (1 cup) of dry chana boiled soft, plus 15 g (1/8 cup) of besan as the extra binder that keeps the tikki from breaking in the pan.
Mashed boiled chana alone makes a soft tikki that cracks when it is turned; the besan drinks up the wetness and crisps as it fries. No breadcrumbs and no egg are needed, so the tikki stays light and vegetarian.
Ten tikkis come out of this recipe, two per serving. The dough rests for a couple of minutes so the besan absorbs the moisture before shaping; a wet dough breaks in the pan and a dry one crumbles.
Cook them on medium. A hot pan browns the outside before the centre warms through, so keep the flame patient and serve the tikkis hot, straight off the pan.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Tikki
- Kabuli chana (white chickpeas) — 1 cup
- Water for soaking and boiling — 6 cups
- Besan (chickpea flour) — 0.13 cup
- Small onion, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Ginger, grated — 1 tsp
- Green chilli, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
- Cumin seeds, lightly crushed — 1 tsp
- Coriander Powder — 1 tsp
- Chaat Masala — 1/2 tsp
- Lemon juice — 1 tsp
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
Frying
- Groundnut oil for shallow frying — 3 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with the mint yogurt dip: whisk half a cup of plain curd with chopped mint leaves and a pinch of salt. They also work tucked into a bun or a roti roll. Any left over keep for up to two days in the fridge, and a minute in a hot pan brings back the crisp. For a cold version of the same chana, try the kabuli chana salad, or see the kabuli chana recipes roundup.
Tips for Cooking Kabuli chana tikki
Dust your palms with dry besan if the dough sticks. Fry on medium and leave the tikkis untouched for the first two minutes so a crust forms. In an air fryer, brush with a little oil and cook at 180 degrees C for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once. If the dough feels wet after resting, work in a little more of the besan.
Chef’s Note
The tikki is done when the edges look dry and the surface is a deep brown; it should feel firm, not soft, under the spatula. A serving of two tikkis comes to about 245 kcal, with 9 g protein and 5.5 g fibre, most of it from the chana.
Per serving (approx.): 245 kcal, protein 9 g, carbs 27 g, fat 12 g, fibre 5.5 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Jul 31, 2026
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