A New Hanukkah Recipe: Indian Potato and Carrot Latkes (Aloo Latkes)

This year the kids are both away for Hanukkah, which makes Andrew and me too sad to even light the menorah. But we couldn’t go through Hanukkah without eating latkes at all, so I decided to throw my emotions into creating a new recipe. I’ve been on an Indian cooking kick lately, and I realized that Indian flavors would meld well with traditional potato pancakes.

If you make the batter ahead of time, refrigerate it until you are ready to cook them, and drain the excess liquid from the bowl before frying them. I served these with a spinach salad with cooked beets, feta cheese, and diced orange.

Indian Potato and Carrot Latkes (Aloo Latkes)

Prep: 20 minutes + Cook: 20 minutes

4 Servings, 4-5 latkes each

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 potatoes)
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
  • 1/2 – 1 jalapeño or other chili pepper, seeded (optional)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or use white flour if that’s all you have)
  • 1 Tbsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 – 3/4 tsp. salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup canola or olive oil
  • mango chutney for serving (or go with traditional sour cream and applesauce)

Instructions:

Using a hand grater or the grating insert in a food processor, grate the potatoes and carrots and finely dice or grate the onion.  Drain the vegetables, if necessary, then wrap them in a clean dish towel for a minute or two to get the excess water out.

Transfer the grated vegetables to a large bowl.  Stir in the ginger, jalapeño pepper, and beaten egg.  Thoroughly mix in the flour, curry powder and salt.

Indian Potato and Carrot Latkes (Aloo Latkes) - Aviva Goldfarb

In a large heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, heat the oil (use enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet with about 1/4 – 1/2-inch of oil) over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot (test it with a piece of potato and see if it sizzles), scoop in spoonfuls of the pancake mixture and flatten them with a spatula.

Cook the pancakes for 2 – 3 minutes per side until they are golden brown. If they start to get too browned on the outside before the middle is cooked, reduce the heat.

Indian Potato and Carrot Latkes (Aloo Latkes) - Aviva Goldfarb

Using a slotted spatula and letting the excess oil drip off, transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Serve the latkes hot topped with the chutney or with sour cream and applesauce.

Nutritional Information per Serving (% based upon Daily Values): Calories 282, Total Fat 15.5g, 23.5%, Saturated Fat 1.5g, 7%, Cholesterol 46.5mg, 15.5%, Sodium 343mg, 14.5%, Carbohydrate 32g, 10.5%, Dietary Fiber 5.5g, 21.5%, Sugar 3.5g, Protein 5.5g

Tip: 

If you are making a larger batch, you can keep the cooked latkes hot on a baking sheet in a 250-degree oven while the rest cook.

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