A - Z Indian Street Food ~ A for Aloo Kabli

I mentioned to my husband casually one evening last month that I am planning to participate in this month's mega marathon ‘Explore the Flavors’. The man who was busy working looked at me probably wondering when did I start needing his permission to do anything and what was special about marathon this time. He thinks that I cook based on marathon themes rather than considering anyone's tastes and preferences at home.😊 I further volunteered that I was not able to choose whether I need to pick a weekly theme or go with one theme for the whole month. Though I sounded as solemn as I was questioning whether I need to solve the hunger problem first or tackle poverty first in the world, the husband zoned out and simply said 'mmm'. For the next few minutes or to rather my questions, I kept on getting more 'mmm's which literally translate to ‘I am not paying attention anymore, you can stop’. Though I had made a list of recipes for weekly themes, I gave him a final ultimatum loudly that I need to go to Whole foods and Patels to buy some millets and other grains I haven’t used before as I was picking ‘Whole Grain’ theme.

That got him into my track back as he wasn’t sure what would I dole out in the name of ‘healthy’ dishes and he wanted to hear about my weekly themes. I told him what they were and said I was planning to cook 6 or 8 international street foods as part of it. The man is a die-hard fan of Indian street food and by now, his interest has piqued by ten folds. Probably he was shocked and thought I was crazy planning international street food instead of making his favorite chaats at home. He switched from inattentive to 'convincing the wife' mode in no time to get me agree to cook 26 street food items at home. That’s how I ended up going to blog about Indian street food this month. 

I decided to go with A-Z theme and had a healthy dish planned for this first post but my husband wanted some aloo chaat instead. I went to the Bengal region to pick this lip smacking version called aloo kabli instead of doling out the common one. As the name indicates, this one is a potato – chickpeas (kabuli chana) salad and is lip smacking good with a zesty sauce as the background. Though the ingredients' list is long, this is quite a simple recipe to dole out. You can even add cucumber pieces and tomato if preferred. The freshly ground bhaja masala lends an inviting cumin flavor and the tamarind sauce lends a blend of sweet, spicy and tangy flavor base to this quick and yummy chaat. This aloo - kabli can be eaten as a quick snack or even a light meal. 

Recipe source: Here

Ingredients:

2 medium sized potatoes (about 1.5 cup cubed)

1/4 cup chickpeas (1/2 cup cooked)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small green chili, cut into thin rounds

2 tbsp. cilantro finely

Black salt to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice 

Ingredients for bhaja masala:

1 or 1.5 tsp. cumin seeds

2 red chillies (Use 1 chillie if less spice is preferred.) / 1/2 tsp. red chili powder 

Ingredients for tamarind sauce:

2 tbsp. tamarind chutney (I used store bought one.)

2 tbsp. water

1 tsp. bhaja masala

Salt to taste

1 small green chillie, finely chopped 

To garnish:

Sev (Fried thin chickpea flour vermicelli)

Toasted and skinned peanuts

Minced cilantro

Method:

* Peel and cube the potatoes. Cook on stove-top in a sauce pan and in a microwave just until done. Do not overcook them or turn them mushy. Drain  the water and keep them aside.

* Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook them until tender. Or use canned chickpeas for a shortcut. Remember to rinse them well before use.

* Dry toast the cumin seeds on low flame until they start to brown. Toast the red chillies if using. Cool and grind them together fine.

If using chili powder, toast cumin seeds only. Grind cumin and mix chili powder to it. This is bhaja masala.

* Combine the ingredients under tamarind sauce in a small bowl. Mix and keep it aside.

* Save some minced onion, chili and cilantro for garnishing. Now add the cooked potato cubes, cooked chickpeas, remaining chopped onion, chili & cilantro, remaining bhaja masala, black salt and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Toss them together and let it sit for about five minutes.

* Now divide the mixture into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Drizzle some tamarind sauce over them. Garnish with onion, chili, cilantro, sev and peanuts. Serve immediately.

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

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