The Sikh-Gurumukhi Region of India stretches over the state of Punjab and Chandigarh. This region is populated by a majority of Sikhs who speak their native language, Punjabi. The name of this region refers to the predominant religion of the region, Sikhism, and Gurumukhi refers to the script used to write the Punjabi language. In the Sikh temple, the gurdwara, one of the central practices is Langar, the community meal that is served daily. Food is prepared and served by people of all castes, and meals are eaten sitting in a straight line on the floor, to prevent anyone sitting in a way to denote superiority or inferiority. Although Sikhs are not required to be vegetarian by their religion, many of the meals prepared at langar are vegetarian. Langar is intended to serve all local community members, so keeping it vegetarian ensures the meal includes all diets. Aloo Tikki is sometimes served at Langar, usually as a side dish. Aloo tikki is a fried snack made from potato and flour-based dough that usually also contains other vegetables, and is served with imli (tamarind) chutney.

Other dishes commonly served at Langar include roti (flatbread), rice, daal (lentils), and sabzi (mixed spiced vegetables). Common ingredients in Punjabi food are ghee, mustard oil, and green chilies. Mustard oil, a bright yellow oil with a pungent smell, comes from the bright yellow mustard flowers grown all over the fields of Punjab. It is used for frying aromatics while cooking. (Other regions of India often use whole mustard seeds for their flavor.) Finally, the green chilies are a source of heat. Langar meals are simple, nutritious, and filling.

Growing up, I (Serene) ate aloo tikki all the time as a snack. My dad’s family came to the US from Punjab in the 1980s, and I was raised as a second-generation Indian in America. My Dadi (paternal grandmother) is one of the best chefs I know, and every time we have gone to her house there would be a feast fit for a king. Her language of love is definitely food, and she is always happy and eager to feed whoever walks through her front door. After our meal, she often appears in the living room with a plate of cut fruit, fresh squeezed juice, or a hand-made snack. Her aloo tikki is one of my favorite snacks, and my younger sister and I could devour a whole plate of them with imli chutney and padina (mint) chutney that my Dadi also made from scratch. After years of eating her food, I wanted to know all her secrets so I could try for myself and continue to keep her recipes alive. Over the years, I built up an arsenal of “Dadi Recipes'' in the Notes app of my phone, and the very first one I learned was aloo tikki. My Dadi told me that her secret to making the tikki dough stick together is to soak a piece of sourdough bread in water before mixing it into the dough by hand. This soaked bread holds the dough together so that the tikki does not fall apart while frying. I am grateful to have all of my Dadi’s recipes and to be able to pass them along to others who can enjoy her love.