Ragda Pattice (Ragda Patties) is a popular Indian street food featuring crispy potato patties topped with a white peas curry (ragda), chutneys, chopped onion, and sev. This Mumbai street-style version is vegan and easy to make at home.
About Ragda Pattice
Ragda Pattice is a beloved chaat from Mumbai, also popular across Gujarat and Maharashtra. It delivers a delightful balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory flavors in every bite.
The dish has two main components:
- Ragda – a mildly spiced curry made from dried white peas.
- Patties – shallow-fried, crispy potato patties (aloo pattice).
The patties are fried until golden and crisp, then served with warm ragda and garnished with green chutney, tamarind chutney, chopped onions, sev, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chili powder, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. The North Indian equivalent, Chole Tikki, uses spicy chickpea curry instead of ragda; while similar in concept, the taste differs due to the legume and spice choices.
Ragda Pattice makes a great evening snack, party appetizer, potluck dish, or a light main. The recipe is customizable—adjust chutneys and seasonings to suit your taste. It’s vegan and can be made gluten-free easily.
You can cook ragda in a stovetop pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. I use a 3-liter pressure cooker or a 3-quart Instant Pot; if you scale the recipe, use a larger cooker but keep the same cooking times.
Ingredients
Most ingredients are available at Indian grocery stores.
For Aloo Pattice
The patties for Ragda Pattice are slightly different from those used in Aloo Tikki Chaat: they are simply seasoned so the ragda and chutneys can shine. You need boiled potatoes, salt, cornstarch to bind, chopped green chilies, grated ginger, and chopped cilantro. Use a neutral oil like sunflower, rice bran, or canola for shallow frying.
For Ragda
Keep ragda simple so the peas’ flavor stands out. Use dried white peas (safed matar), grated ginger, turmeric, neutral oil, salt, and a little water for cooking. After cooking, stir in green chutney and tamarind chutney to taste. Note: white peas are different from chickpeas; ragda is traditionally made with dried white peas.
Toppings
Typical toppings include green chutney, tamarind chutney, chopped green chilies, chopped red onions, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and fine sev. You can add a little garlic chutney for extra heat or pomegranate arils for a burst of sweetness and color. Mumbai-style ragda pattice is usually mild so each person can adjust chutneys and spices as desired.
How To Make Ragda Pattice
Make the Ragda
1. Wash 1 cup dried white peas and soak them in 3–4 cups of water for 5–6 hours. Drain and rinse.
2. Add the soaked peas to an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) with 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp oil, and 1/8 tsp turmeric.
3. For Instant Pot: seal and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure and open the lid. Stir in 1 tsp green chutney and 1 tbsp tamarind chutney. If ragda is too thick, thin with water to reach a thick, flowing curry consistency.
4. For stovetop pressure cooker: cook the same ingredients on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.
Make the Pattice
1. Boil about 400 g (15 oz) potatoes, then refrigerate them for 3–4 hours. Chilling helps dry the potatoes so the patties become crisp when fried.
2. Peel and grate the chilled potatoes using a medium-hole grater.
3. In a bowl, combine the grated potatoes with 3 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp chopped green chilies, 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Mix into a dough-like mixture.
4. Lightly oil your palms and divide the mixture into 8–9 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round, flat patty. If sticky, add more cornstarch.
5. Heat neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, enough to cover half the patties. Shallow fry the patties until golden and crisp on both sides. Drain on paper or a plate.
Assemble Ragda Pattice
1. Spoon about ½ cup warm ragda onto each serving plate.
2. Place two crispy patties over the ragda.
3. Drizzle with about 1 tsp green chutney and 2 tsp tamarind chutney, adjusting to taste. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, and chaat masala. Squeeze fresh lime juice, then top with chopped red onions, cilantro, and sev. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Patties can be shaped and frozen on a tray for 3–4 hours, then stored in a zip-lock bag. Thaw and shallow-fry when needed. Ragda stores refrigerated for 2–3 days or frozen up to a month; reheat and thin with water if needed. Tamarind chutney keeps up to a month refrigerated, while mint-coriander chutney lasts 3–4 days. Chop onions and cilantro a day ahead if desired.
Everything in this recipe is naturally gluten-free except for some store-bought chutneys that might contain additives. Use gluten-free chutneys (avoid hing/asafetida if it contains wheat) to keep the dish gluten-free.
Serving Suggestions
Ragda Pattice pairs well with other chaat dishes like papdi chaat, bhel puri, or samosa chaat and is excellent alongside masala chai or chilled lassis (plain, mango, strawberry, or rose) for a full snack spread.
Ragda Pattice Recipe (Ragda Patties)
Ingredients
For Ragda
- 1 cup dried white peas (safed matar)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp neutral oil
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp green chutney (optional)
- 2 tbsp tamarind chutney (optional)
For Pattice
- 400 g (about 15 oz) boiled potatoes
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp chopped green chilies
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Neutral oil for frying
Toppings
- Green chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Roasted cumin powder
- Red chili powder
- Chaat masala
- Fresh lime juice
- Chopped red onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Fine sev
Instructions
Make the Ragda
- Soak dried white peas in 3–4 cups water for 5–6 hours, then drain and rinse.
- Cook with 1 cup water, salt, grated ginger, oil, and turmeric in an Instant Pot (25 minutes high pressure, 10 minutes natural release) or stovetop pressure cooker for about 25 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Stir in green chutney and tamarind chutney; thin with water if necessary to a thick curry consistency.
Make the Pattice
- Refrigerate boiled potatoes for 3–4 hours, then peel and grate.
- Combine grated potatoes with cornstarch, green chilies, ginger, salt, and cilantro to form a dough-like mixture.
- Divide into 8–9 portions, shape into flat patties, and shallow-fry in hot oil until crisp and golden on both sides. Drain on a plate.
Assemble Ragda Pattice
- Spoon ½ cup warm ragda onto each plate and place two patties on top.
- Drizzle with green and tamarind chutneys, sprinkle roasted cumin, red chili powder, and chaat masala. Squeeze lime, then top with chopped onions, cilantro, and sev. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can adjust chutneys and spices to your liking. Ragda can be made in a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot; cooking times remain the same when scaling the recipe if you use a larger pot.