“Fill your plate with the colours of the rainbow.”
I think when it comes to street food, Indians just get it. They, in fact, crush it. With food being such an important part of the country’s culture, it obviously seeps out into every nook and cranny, taking forms that are fantastically delicious. From the hot jalebis of the north to the sizzling dosas of the south, from the mouth-watering vada pav of the west to the tantalizing thupka of the east, we know how to keep ourselves fed at home or outside. And any conversation about street food cannot be complete without the mention of chaat of course. This plate of palate bomb sits right at the center of the flavour wheel I feel – you get a hit of savory, a twang of sour, a kick of heat, a hint of sweet – everything to knock your socks off! While you can make chaat with a range of choice ingredients, I wanted to have a solid, all-time good and all-pleasing aloo chaat. You can swap out the aloo patty for some old samosas to make it a samosa chaat or add tofu if you are feeling very virtuous.
And what’s more, it’s such a happy food with its myriad of colors and taste. It manages to be a comfort food and a celebration food at the same time! A multi-tasking dish if I ever saw one!
RECIPE
Feeds 4 hungry people
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup bhujia sev (savoury sprinkles)
- 2 cups yogurt, beaten till smooth
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup coriander
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
Cooking Aloo Tikki (Potato Patty)
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup green peas
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon semolina (suji)
- 1 cup coriander, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 5 cups water, to boil
- 3 tablespoon neutral oil, to fry
Cooking Tamarind Chutney
- ½ cup tamarind, seedless and soaked in water
- ½ cup chopped jaggery or sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water or as required
Cooking Mint Chutney
- 1 cup mint, roughly chopped
- 1 cup coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 green chillies, roughly chopped
- 2 small cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon black salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon water or as required
METHOD
- For the aloo patty, boil the potatoes and peas in salted water till tender. Then drain and cool for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Once well mixed, shape the mixture into small, round flat patties. Place them gently in hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.
- For the tamarind chutney, roast the cumin seeds in a dry pan till roasted and fragrant. Then add in a blender with all the other ingredients, squeezing the soaked tamarind. Blend for a smooth sauce consistency.
- For the mint chutney, add all ingredients to a blender and mix until well incorporated into a runny sauce.
- Take the yoghurt and add the sugar to it. Whisk vigorously till a whipped consistency is reached.
- To assemble the chaat, add chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sweetened curd, the two sauces, bhujia sev, coriander and chaat masala to the aloo patty. Mix till evenly distributed but not mushing the patty a lot.
- Enjoy hot or cold!
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The measurements for the sauces and the chaat assembly are directional, can be adjusted according to taste.
- The potato patty can be replaced with any other protein as per preference.
- The sauces and the patty can also be used to make pani puri (another puffed Indian street snack).
