A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ S for Samosa Chole Chaat

Thanks to my husband, samosa chaat has become a family favorite over the years and it is also the most frequently made or ordered chaat at our home. And hence there was no planning or persuasion needed when it came to alphabet 'S'. In fact, this was the first dish I made for the marathon. Whenever my husband gets samosas in surplus, (which tends to happen always, the surplus thing) samosa chaat happens in our home. Gladly, without any complaints I must admit since everyone looks forward to it.
 
Samosa and chole - the two of the signature dishes from the Punjab region come together in samosa chole chaat. Samosa is the flaky, fried triangular pastry with savory potato & pea filling while chole or the chana masala is the spicy chickpea curry which is served with Indian breads. The combo accentuated with spicy, tangy chutneys and topped with crunchy sev and sweet onions form the irresistible samosa chole chaat for spicy food lovers. No surprise, this mouthwatering chaat has now become a popular one ranging from road side stalls to fancy eateries through out the nation. 

Baked samosas can be a guilt-free substitute for fried ones and the link I have provided above is for them. Samosas either fried / baked can be made in advance and refrigerated. They can be warmed in a microwave and used whenever ready to assemble the chaat. The chole also can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. Remember to prepare chole with a lot of gravy. Instead of chole, the dried peas curry called ragada can be substituted in samosa chaat.
Chutneys & sev can be store bought or prepared in advance too. My husband likes adding red garlic chutney as well but I skip it. Also, yogurt is optional here but we love the way it balances the spicy chutneys and chole in the chaat and we don't give it a miss. Most of the stuff can be prepared in advance and so this tempting chaat makes a great menu item when one has company.


Ingredients: (yield 4 servings)
4 medium sized samosas
About 3 cups cooked chole / chana masala (or ragda)
1/4 cup green chutney / cilantro-mint chutney
1/4 cup sweet date-tamarind chutney
2 medium sized onions, finely minced
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sev for topping
1 cup yogurt for topping (optional)

Method:
* Gently break a samosa into 4 or 6 pieces and place it at the middle of a serving bowl or plate. Pour about 2 ladles (or as much as preferred) of chana masala over the samosa pieces.
* Drizzle green chutney and sweet chutney (as much as you prefer) over the chana masala.
* Next sprinkle minced onion and pour yogurt if using.
* Finally top it with sev and garnish with cilantro.
* Assemble three other servings the same way and serve immediately.

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

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A - Z Indian Street Foods ~ Q for Qabuli Chana Chaat

White chickpeas are called Kabuli or qabuli chana and these legumes are the star ingredient of today's chaat. This chaat is protein packed with underlying and complimentary flavors contributed by chutneys, spices, onions and tomatoes. Those spicy, sweet and tangy flavors form a wonderful base for this easy and filling chaat. It can be done under 10 minutes and novice friendly if using canned chickpeas and store bought chutneys, sev, and pooris.

Ingredients:

½ cup dried chickpeas or 1 cup canned chickpeas

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

2 heaped tsp. green chutney

2 heaped tsp. sweet tamarind chutney

Salt to taste

¼ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. chaat masala

Few pinches of black salt

Sev to garnish

4 fried golgappe puri

Method:

* If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and pressure cook until soft. Drain and keep aside. If using canned ones, rinse well and drain. 

* Add chickpeas to a mixing bowl. Next add onion, tomato, cilantro, green chutney, sweet chutney, salt and spices. Mix everything so that spices and chutneys coat the chickpeas and vegetables well. 

* Divide the mixture between serving bowls. Top it with a generous amount of sev and crushed pooris.

So far, on this series, 
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat
J for Jamun Bun
K for Khakra - Chana Bhel 
L for Locho
M for Masala Puri Chaat
N for Nippattu Masala Chaat
O for Onion Pakoda  
P for Palakhova Bun

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

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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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Peanut Dahivada Chaat

This yummy chaat comes from the same Gujarati cook show that I mentioned in my yesterday's post. This recipe caught my attention because of the unusual peanut based fritters and our love for chaats. This peanut dahi vada chaat definitely makes an interesting and lip smacking snack on a lazy evening.

Servings: 4
Ingredients to make vadas:
3/4 cup roasted and skinned peanuts
3/4 cup chana dal / split chickpeas
3 tbsp. besan / chickpea flour
3 - 4 green chillies or as per taste
1 inch ginger piece
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. minced cilantro 
1/2 tsp fruit salt
Oil to fry 
Ingredients to assemble the chaat: 
2 cups yogurt (I used homemade, fatfree yogurt.)
Salt & Sugar to taste
Green chutney
Sweet chutney 
Aloo sev
Chaat masala
Red chili powder
Julienned ginger

Preparing Vada Batter:
* Soak peanuts for about an hour and drain. Grind them fine, adding little water if needed.
* Soak chana dal separately for a couple of hours. Grind coarsely along with chillies and ginger.
* Combine the ground peanuts and chana dal mixture, besan, salt, and 1/2 tsp fruit salt in a bowl and mix well. Rest the mixture for about a minute or so.
 
Frying the Vadas:
* While grinding the above, heat oil in a small sized wok for deep frying the vadas / fritters.
* Make small lime sized balls out of the batter and pat them gently to discs. Slide them carefully into the hot oil. Fit as many as the frying pan can hold without overcrowding.  
* Fry them on low flame until golden through out and cooked through, flipping them intermittently. Drain them on paper towels and let them cool for about 1 minute. They don't absorb much oil and are not greasy to touch. 
* Dunk the fried fritters in a bowl of water for about 10 to 15 sec. Remove them and gently squeeze each fritter between palms to remove the excess water.

Assembling the chaat:
Arrange about 4 fried vadas / fritters in a small bowl. Pour about 1/2 cup yogurt yogurt on vadas  and drizzle green and sweet chutneys as much as preferred. Sprinkle chaat masala and red chili powder over the vadas.Garnish with sev and julienned ginger.

 
This goes to blogging marathon #57 under the theme 'Bookmarked Posts' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Palak Chaat

Most of the popular and mouthwatering chaats from the Indian subcontinent involve a fried base - like puffy pooris, crispy papdis, stuffed kachori or samosas, yummy potato patties and so on. Pure indulgence, some may argue but still these remain popular in spite of novel twists the health conscious people keep coming up with. Today's recipe is a similar kind which involves fried fritters made with tender, spinach leaves. The leaves are lightly coated with a spicy chickpea flour batter and then deep fried. These yummy fritters are the center attraction of today's lip smacking chaat. This chaat was inspired from a recipe I saw in a cookbook sometime back.
The chaat can be served individually as one bite snacks or regularly as shown in the image below. I got the one bite snack idea after seeing how my husband assembled the chaat for himself. It would have been a cute presentation if I did in a similar fashion. But by that time, I already plated, pictured and even consumed my chaat portion. I was in no mood to grab his plate and start clicking again. :)
 
Ingredients for making spinach fritters / palak pakode:
3/4 cup gram flour / garbanzo flour / besan
2 tbsp. rice flour
1/2 tsp carom seeds / cumin seeds
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. baking soda
15 tender spinach leaves
Oil for frying

Method:
* Wash the spinach leaves and gently pat them dry.
* Combine all the above ingredients except spinach leaves and oil in a mixing bowl. Add water and make a batter of dropping 
consistency.
 
* Heat oil for deep frying in a small kadai / frying pan.
* Dip a spinach leaf in the besan batter so that the leaf is lightly coated with batter on both sides.
* Gently drop the batter dipped spinach leaf in to the hot oil. Add as many spinach leaves as the pan can fit without overcrowding.
* Fry them on low medium flame setting until they turn light golden brown on both sides, flipping them intermittently. When done, remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining leaves and the batter.


Ingredients for the palak chaat:
15 Palak pakode from above recipe
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes, cooked until tender
Green chutney as needed
Sweet chutney as needed
1 cup lightly whisked fresh yogurt
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Roasted cumin powder to taste
Thin sev to garnish
Minced cilantro leaves to garnish

Method:
* Combine potatoes and salt in a mixing bowl.
* If planning to serve each piece individually, place fritters on a serving platter. Place about 2 tsp. boiled potatoes on each spinach fritter. Pour about 1 tsp. green chutney, 1 tsp. sweet chutney and 2 tbsp. yogurt over each fritter and gently mix. Next sprinkle a pinch of chili powder and cumin powder on each fritter. Finally garnish with sev and cilantro. Add some more quantity of chutneys if desired.
* Or place 2 - 3 fritters on a serving plate. If the pakode are bigger in size then break each one into two pieces. And add the other ingredients and assemble the chaat as required.

This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

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Aloo - Chana Chaat

 

The next one in the 'Chaat' series is going to be this lip-smacking aloo chana chaat that can be a wholesome meal on it's own. This can be turned into an oil-free dish if you skip the garnishing of sev and puri / papdi. Some planning is ready if you are planning to make this dish from scratch since this chaat's star ingredient is cooked garbanzo beans. In case if you have some cooked beans handy or a can of garbanzo beans lying in your pantry then it can be prepared quickly. The below recipe can just be used as a reference point. One can omit or add ingredients as per their choice. And of course the seasonings and chutneys that go into the dish depends upon one's taste buds and so use them accordingly. 

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans / Kabuli chana
1 potato / aloo
1 tomato (optional)
1 onion (preferably red onion.)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp chaat masala
Black salt to taste (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice
Green chutney to taste
Sweet chutney to taste
4 to 6 crushed papdi / poories
2 to 3 tbsp. minced cilantro to garnish
Fine sev to garnish

Preparation:
1. Soak chana / garbanzo beans overnight and boil until tender. Drain and keep it aside. (Indians usually cook the beans in a pressure cooker to quicken the process.) Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly if using canned beans.
2. I peel the potato, cut into small cubes and cook it in the microwave adding a little water. It takes around 5 - 7 minutes to cook potato in the microwave depending upon it's strength. One can cook the potato in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan on stove top too. Just cook until fork tender.
3. Finely chop onion. Usually red onion is used for chaats as that is the commonly available onion variety in India. However white onion can be used if you don't have red ones handy.  
4. Finely chop tomato and keep it aside. Mince cilantro finely.
5. If you are preparing chutneys, papdi/pooris and sev at home then keep them ready before assembling the chaat. Store-bought sev, papdi / pooris and chutneys can be lifesavers during time crunches. I used the store bought sev, sweet chutney and ready to fry pooris for this recipe. I haven't posted the green chutney recipe yet. I grind cilantro leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, salt and lemon juice.
 
Click the links below if you are looking for these recipes.
Date-Tamarind chutney 
Papdi 
Sev

Assembling the Chaat:
* Combine garbanzo beans, potato, onion, tomato, salt, chaat masala, black salt if using and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
* Add green chutney and sweet chutney as per taste and mix gently.
* Divide the mixture in individual serving bowls.
* Garnish each bowl with crushed papdis / pooris, minced cilantro and sev. Add some more sweet chutney and green chutney if desired.
* This can be served as a starter at parties, an evening snack or as dinner.

This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

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Biscuit - Corn Chaat

This recipe is inspired from a 'Khana Khazana' episode, aired long ago. The idea of using a non fried base like these salty crackers makes this chaat more attractive and guilt free. The crackers add a nice, crispy texture to this chaat and this chaat variation make great one bite snacks. These can be assembled in a jiffy, if you have chutneys and sev ready beforehand or using store-bought stuff.

Ingredients:
15 round salty biscuits (I used Ritz crackers.)
1 boiled and mashed potato
1/4 blanched corn kernels
1 onion, finely chopped (Preferably red onion but I used white onion here.)
Salt to taste
Chaat masala as required
2 tsp. red garlic chutney (I didn't use any.)
3 to 4 tsp. green chutney (Keep it on thicker side.)
2 to 3 Tbsp. date -tamarind chutney
1/4 cup chopped raw mango
1/4 to 1/2 cup fine sev
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
Minced cilantro to garnish
 
Method:
* Mix mashed potato, corn, onion, salt and chaat masala. (I added red chili powder also in this step.)
* Arrange biscuits / crackers in a single layer on a serving platter. Place about a tbsp.of potato mixture and 1 tsp. of mango pieces over each biscuit / cracker. 
* Next, spoon a little quantity of three chutneys over the mixture. (The quantity of chutneys used depends upon one's preference.) Finally garnish with sev, red chili powder (if it was not used in the first step) and cilantro.
* Serve immediately. 

Click the links below for the recipes.
Date-Tamarind Chutney'
Sev (Omit carom seeds from the recipe.)

This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

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Bread Bhel

Event: Blogging marathon #40
Theme: Evening snacks

This low fat bread bhel is a quick, easy and tasty snack for lazy evenings. I used store bought seasoned croutons, sev and sweet chutney and so the chaat was ready in about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:
8 bread slices or about 2 cups bread croutons
1 big sized tomato
1 big sized onion
1/2 cup cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
2 - 3 tbsp green chutney
2 - 3 tbsp sweet date-tamarind chutney
1/2 cup sev

Method:
* If preparing croutons from scratch, remove the crusts of bread and cut the slices into cubes. Toast the bread cubes in oil / ghee until golden brown in a saute pan and drain them on absorbent towels. Or toast them in an oven and keep them aside.
* Chop onion, tomato and cilantro finely.
* Combine onion, tomato, cilantro, salt, lemon juice, green chutney and sweet chutney in a bowl. Just before serving, add croutons and sev to the bowl. Mix well and serve immediately. 
* Puffed rice and pomegranate seeds can also be added to the mix.

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