This Achari Aloo Tikka has the word “drool” written all over it. Baby potatoes marinated generously in pickling spices and cooked to perfection. This Indian tandoori appetizer is made at home without a tandoor. Skillet, air-fryer, grilling, and baking instructions included.

Indian pickle is very different from the pickle we get here in the United States. The combination of spices like fennel, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chilies, and mustard oil makes this spice blend very unique in taste. It is a perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors. To make my life easy I always stock up on a jar of ready-made achari masala just like I have garam masala in my pantry. Everything tastes better with an Indian pickle. If you are a pickle fan like me do try my Achari paneer braided puff recipe. 

This tandoori style tikka appetizer is made using a tandoor (high-temperature baking oven) at a restaurant. But it is very easy to make it the same way at home without any fancy big equipment or tandoor.

What is tikka?

Tikka refers to the process of marinating pieces of veggies or meat in a spicy yogurt based mixture before cooking. This process of making appetizers and curries is very popular in India. Today’s recipe achari aloo tikka literally translates to potatoes marinated in Indian pickling spices.

Ingredients to make achari aloo tikka

We need aloo i.e baby potatoes. I add onion and pepper for extra crunch. It is optional. Stick to baby potatoes and not any other variety for this recipe.

For marination

Yogurt – Thick consistency is needed and not runny. You can use homemade or store-bought dahi for this recipe. Greek yogurt works great!

Roasted besan – Besan aka chickpea flour or channa dal flour will help the masala and the yogurt to coat on the veggies very well. I roast it slightly in a pan on a low heat until fragrant and brown, cool and use. Roasting helps get rid of raw flour smell and taste.

Achari Masala – For convenience, I use a store-bought achari masala blend. You can easily find it in any local Indian grocery store or online. In case you want to make it at home, I  have mentioned a detailed recipe and process to make your own achari masala below.

Mustard oil – Mustard oil is as important as the pickling spice blend for this recipe. For making achari flavor appetizers, do not skip mustard oil. You heat the oil until hot, cool it down to lukewarm, and add it to the yogurt spices mixture.

Other spices include extra red chili powder, turmeric, dried mango powder, ginger garlic paste, ajwain, fennel seeds, and Kalonji.

Step by step method to make Achari Aloo Tikka

Boil the potatoes until just done. I like to use my Instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker to boil the potatoes. Once they have cooled down a little and easy to handle, peel the skin off.

Crucial step- The Marination              

Plan ahead! Do not rush with this recipe. Marination will deepen the flavor of the masalas. Marinate the potatoes for at least 2-3 hours and maximum up to 48 hours in the fridge. Do taste the marination mixture after you mix it together and adjust any seasoning. It should have a stronger taste, meaning extra tangy, spicy, and a bit salty. Once you add the veggies the taste will automatically balance out after cooking.

Today I am sharing more than one way to make achari aloo tikka at home. You can marinate a variety of vegetables and enjoy it in your preferred method mentioned below.

Using air fryer or Mealthy Pot / Instant Pot air fryer attachment.

This is my favorite way to make any tandoori appetizer. It is mess-free and very convenient. This method results in perfectly cooked, crisp, and lightly charred aloo tikka exactly the way you get it at the Indian restaurant. I am using my Mealthy crisp lid to cook the marinated potatoes. It is a great attachment that sits directly on to your Instant Pot and is used for air frying purposes. This way I have one less appliance sitting on my kitchen counter.

Tandoori aloo in an air fryer

1. I cover the inner mesh container with foil all over.
2. No need to brush any oil on the base. Just add the marinated veggies in a single layer. Then I place the Mealthy lid over the Instant Pot and switch it on. I press the temperature icon and increase it to 475 degrees F and time to 5 minutes. When the timer beeps, I carefully open the lid and place it on to the silicone mat.
3. At this point the peppers and onions are done so I take them out.
4. Then I flip the potatoes with the help of a prong to cook further.
5. I place the lid again and this time cook for 4 minutes at 475 deg F. Do keep a check by peeping through the glass lid. If you want it extra charred then cook for a minute or two more. They are done and ready to serve. Wait for 2-3 minutes before digging in, as they are very hot out of the pot.
6. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.

Baking Achari Aloo Tikka in an oven

Baking was my to-go method to make tandoori appetizers like potato and paneer tikka before I was introduced to an air fryer. Though home ovens do not have high temperatures like 900 deg F as a tandoor does, it still works great to make tikkas. The secret is to bake it at the highest temperature setting of your oven and then broil it shortly for crisp charred edges. This is my second preferred method to make tandoori tikka. If you do not have an air fryer make achari aloo tikkas in the oven. The big advantage of making it in the oven is that you can make a big batch of this tandoori aloo tikka in one go.

The method

Switch on your oven at 500 deg F or the maximum setting you have.

Line a baking tray with foil and lightly brush it with oil.

Place the potato, pepper, and onion pieces on it.

Once it is pre-heated, bake on the lowest rack for 10-15 minutes rotating and flipping the veggies halfway.

If the veggies don’t develop a charred top simply shift the pan to the top rack and broil on HIGH for few seconds.

Keep a close look at the tikkas while broiling to avoid them to burn.

Cooking tikkas on the skillet

I use this method when I feel too lazy to start the oven or when I have to make a small batch of tandoori tikkas.

Start by heating a flat non-stick pan or skillet on medium heat. Spray it lightly with oil. Once warm, place the marinated potatoes, peppers, and onions over the skillet. Now turn on the flame to high and cook for 30 seconds undisturbed. Now flip them and cook until you have a crisp charred outer covering. Do not lower the heat or else the tikkas will not get the charred look.

Making tikka over a grill.

You can make achari aloo tikka over a panini maker grill or an outside grill. I have a Cuisinart panini make and griddle. So, on that, I use the griddle settings at 425 deg F.  Start by switching your grill on, at 400 deg F or higher setting. Once warm, brush the plates with oil. Now place the marinated pieces on the grill and let it cook for a minute undisturbed. Flip the pieces and cook on all sides until crisp on the outside.

Important notes to consider

1. As baby potatoes are small, I do not line them on a skewer. You may do so if preferred. Metal skewers won’t fit the air fryer. You will have to use wooden ones in it.
2. Always soak wooden skewers in normal temperature water before using. This avoids them to get burnt during the cooking process.
3. Skewers work great over a grill, skillet, and in the oven.
4. Brush the tikkas lightly with oil if you suspect it is sticking to the surface.
5. Note that in all the methods mentioned above, the peppers and onions will cook faster and get crisp before the potatoes. Just take them off the heat using your judgment.

What if you don’t have achari masala at home? Don’t worry, you can quickly make it with whole spices in minutes and use it as needed.

Homemade achari masala recipe.

• 20 Kashmiri Dry Red Chilies
• 1 teaspoon Hing
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 2 teaspoon dry ginger powder, sauth
• 2 tablespoons Coriander Seeds
• 6 tablespoons Fennel Seeds
• 4 tablespoons Cumin Seeds
• 3 tablespoons Yellow Mustard Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Onion Seeds, kalonji
• 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
• 1.5 tablespoons Dry Mango Powder
• 3 tablespoons salt, add more if needed

Method

1. In a pan, roast everything in the ingredient list together on low heat for 5-8 minutes until its fragrant and a little brown.
2. Do not roast on high heat, or the spices will burn.
3. Let the mixture cool at room temperature.
4. Now blend it in a high-powered blender or spice grinder until you achieve a ground dry masala texture.
5. Store it at room temperature in a glass jar. Or refrigerate for a longer period.
6. Use as needed in curries, appetizers, parathas, or rice.

How to serve Achari Aloo?

Serve it with sliced onions or cucumber tomato salad, with a wedge of lemon and this yummy green chutney as a dipping sauce.

Main dish recipes to pair with tandoori tikka appetizer

You can but should not fill yourself with this side dish alone. Achari aloo tikka makes a great side dish paired with the following recipes.

• Paneer Lababdar
• Badami Paneer
• Methi Malai Kofta curry
• Vegetable paneer jalfrezi

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Every potato lover should try these recipes –

Sukhi aloo subzi

Aloo Palak Gravy

Instant Pot Aloo Baingan

Aloo tikki burger

Achari Aloo Tikka Recipe

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5 from 6 votes

Achari Aloo Tikka (Tandoori Potato Appetizer)

Achari Aloo Tikka is an easy Indian vegetarian appetizer using potatoes and spices. You can bake, grill, air-fry or cook it on a skillet.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian - Punjabi

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Adjustable Servings -6 servings

Calories 137kcal

Author Khushboo

Ingredients

• 610 grams baby potatoes , approx 32- see notes
• 1 small bell pepper cut into 1.5” cubes approx.
• 1 medium size onion cut into 1.5” cubes,

For Marinating the veggies

• 1.5 tablespoons mustard oil see notes
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon thick yogurt see notes
• 2 tablespoons roasted besan
• 1 teaspoon ginger grated
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced or grated
• 1 tablespoon red chili powder lal mirch (adjust to your taste)
• 1 tablespoon achari masala
• ¼ teaspoon black salt
• 1 teaspoon amchoor powder dry mango powder
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• Salt to taste add responsibly as achari masala has some

Optional ( But Recommended)

• ½ teaspoon kalonji Nigella seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ajwain carom seeds
• ½ teaspoon sauf fennel seeds

Instructions

• Rinse the potatoes under cold water and prick each one once with a knife or a fork.

Boiling potatoes in an Instant Pot

• To the inner pot of the IP, add 1 cup water.
• Place the trivet and the steamer on top.
• Add potatoes to it.
• If you do not have a steamer then place potatoes in IP safe container and proceed.
• Place the Instant Pot lid on the top with a black knob on the SEALING position.
• Press 2 minutes HIGH pressure on the IP.
• Let the pressure come down naturally.
• After the silver pin on the pot drops down, open the pot carefully and take out the potatoes.
• Let them cool down a bit and then peel the skin when they are easy to handle.

Marinating process.

• Heat mustard oil in a small pan until hot. Switch off the flame. Keep it aside and let it cool down until just warm and not very hot.
• Add everything called for the marinating the veggies in a bowl.
• Whisk it until smooth. Now add the cooled mustard oil to it.
• Again give it a good mix.
• At this point taste the marination and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Now throw in the veggies.
• Using your hands or a big spoon gently mix the veggies to coat generously with the marination.
• Cover and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the flavors to meddle.

Air-fryer tandoori style Achari aloo tikka

• Discard the water in the Instant Pot and pat it dry.
• Place the long leg trivet in the pot.
• Cover the inner mesh container with foil all over.
• No need to brush any oil on the base. Just add the marinated veggies in a single layer.
• Then place the Mealthy crisp lid over the Instant Pot and switch it on.
• No need to plug in the actual Instant Pot. Only a Mealthy crisp lid attachment should be used.
• Press the temperature icon and increase it to 475 degrees F and time to 5 minutes.
• When the timer beeps, carefully open the lid and place it on to the silicone mat.
• At this point the peppers and onions are done so I take them out.
• Then I flip the potatoes with the help of a prong to cook further.
• Place the lid again and cook for additional 5-6 minutes until you see the potatoes crisp and a bit charred.
• When the timer beeps, carefully open the lid and place it on to the silicone mat.
• Take out the potatoes. Arrange everything in a serving dish.
• Serve hot with a side of green chutney, lemon wedges, and cucumber onion tomato salad.

Notes

The spice level of this recipe is 5/5, 5 being hot. So, adjust the chili powder to your taste. For making it less spicy you may swap it with paprika.

Grilling, skillet, and baking methods are mentioned in the post. Please scroll up for details.

Important notes

1. Use only baby potatoes and not the big ones for this recipe.  The small potatoes are very sturdy even after boiling and do not turn mushy.
2. Peppers and onions are optional but add a good texture to the dish.
3. It is easy to peel the potato skin while they are still warm. Not too hot or cold!
4. Marination will deepen the flavor of the masalas. Marinate the potatoes for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge.
5. The peppers and onions will cook faster and get crisp before the potatoes. Just take them off the heat using your judgment.

Pro tip - Do taste the marination mixture after you mix it together and adjust any seasoning. It should have a stronger taste, meaning extra tangy, spicy, and a bit salty. Once you add the veggies the taste will automatically balance out after cooking.

Possible substitutes

• Achari taste highly depends on the mustard oil. Do not substitute it with another oil or else it will just be tandoori aloo and not achari in taste.
• The homemade Achari masala recipe is given above in the post.
• Use thick yogurt, greek or homemade doesn't matter.
• For making it vegan, simple swap dairy yogurt with non-dairy one.
• I have listed baking, skillet, and grilling methods in detail above in the post.

Make ahead of time

• Boil potatoes, peel, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• You can marinate the veggies and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
• You can semi-cook the potatoes overall for 5 minutes, cool, and store it in the fridge. Just before serving cook for additional 5-6 minutes for charred crisp edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 416IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

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