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From Streets Of India: Aloo Tikki Ki Chaat



I have come to believe,and so would agree most of you,that the real Indian gastronomic landscape exists not in five star restaurants and expensive speciality diners,but on streets.Just think about street food,and an array of delicacies rush into one's mind - gol gappas,papdi,tikki,chole bhature,kathi rolls,vada pao,pao bhaji,bhel puri,kachori-sabzi...the list goes on endlessly!Truly,India is not much of Bukhara and Dum-Pukht,sophisticated air-conditioned dining,but more of Paranthe Wali Gali and Chowpati.A major portion of street food is tempting,finger-licking 'Chaat',and why not be - There is nothing more soul-satisfying than a plate of this tangy,spicy,sweet and sour preparation on a cold winter or monsoon evening.

From sweet shops to small stalls cramped in nooks-and-corners of galis,chaat can be found almost everywhere in Northern India.

ALOO TIKKI KI CHAAT
A chaat that needs no introduction,golden-crisp disks of potatoes streaked with colors of red and green.Not only phenomenal to eat,but phenomenal to look at,as well.
If desired,serve it along with a glass of hot tea,and treat your taste buds!
Preparation Time : 20 minutes


Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS
5 medium potatoes - boiled in salted water,peeled and grated
2 heaped tablespoons arrowroot flour/cornflour
Salt to taste
Ghee for frying
FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup bengal gram(channa dal) - soaked and boiled with a pinch of turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chily powder
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
Generous pinch of black salt
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
TO SERVE:   
1/2 cup saunth
1/2 cup hari chutney
1/2 small onion - thinly sliced
50 gm cabbage - shredded
1" piece ginger - cut into juliennes
50 gm cottage cheese - cut into small cubes
25 gm pomegranate pearls

METHOD
Take the boiled,grated potatoes in a bowl,and add the starch(Arrowroot flour/Cornflour).What starch does is,not only it absorbs the excessive moisture,but also helps make the tikkis much more crispier.Adjust the salt,remembering that the potatoes have been boiled in salted water.Mix and mash with your hands,turning the mixture into a dough.Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a kadhai,and add the cumin seeds.Once they begin to splutter,tip in the bengal gram along with rest of the filling ingredients - red chily powder,chaat masala,black salt and salt.Give a stir and switch off the heat. 
To make a tikki,take a generous portion of mashed potatoes in your hand,make a groove in the center and place a spoonful of the glorious,yellow filling made.Enclose the groove,sealing the tikki with your wet fingers.Repeat with the rest of the mashed potatoes.Shallow fry the tikkis in hot ghee on medium flame,till a brown crust develops on both the sides.
Transfer the hot tikkis to individual plates,two on each,press them a bit to flatten,and drizzle two-three tablespoons of each chutney.Top with the onion,cabbage and ginger,sprinkling paneer dices and pomegranate,as you get ready to devour.Dig in,and experience a celebration in your mouth!

NOTE

1. Be careful as not to overcook the potatoes while boiling them.If you boil them for too long,they will become mushy due to the high water content.
2. Most vendors don't use curd(plain yogurt) for Aloo Tikki Ki Chaat since the cold curd quickly brings down the temperature of the tikki.However,if you wish,use half a cup of cold curd,whipped with quarter of a spoon of roasted cumin powder,a generous pinch of sugar and salt to taste,while assembling the chaat.

chaat wallah frying tikkis on a large griddle.


Creative Commons License
This work by Fahad Khan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

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+ comments + 11 comments

31/07/2011, 12:47

Thank You for starting this blog ! Will be expecting more of such authentic recipes from you ! So,bring it on Chef !

09/08/2011, 11:58

We lived in India for 5 years, in New Delhi precisely, so we love Indian food, my daughter especially loves the street food. Thank you for stopping by. I'm followin you back immediately and with great pleasure! We're very nostalgic for India, so your blog brings us back great memories! My best greetings from Rome!

10/08/2011, 03:34

Nothing like a good patta of chaat ... make it two! You hit the nail on the head; in India, it's the street that you need to get to for a true taste of India! Your recipes sound good. Now I'm craving aloo tikki and the weather is perfect for a plateful today!

11/08/2011, 20:45

I admire your recipes as they are the type of street food that I like!

15/08/2011, 04:04

Great post on Indian street food. The recipe looks sinful and mouth watering.

16/08/2011, 19:54

That is so true! street food is so much tasty as compared to those 5 star restaurants. I miss that out here . This is a great post and I am now craving for allu tikki

23/08/2011, 22:00

Wow, I love this chaat and you are absolutely correct with the food being great in street stalls than in the restaurants. I would love to gorge on this any time.

22/10/2011, 16:02

Wow well done with your posts. Your very commited with it haha :) Follow my blog if you would like cookinglife1.blogspot.com

Usha CK
11/11/2011, 21:58

Hi, I have tried all but one of the recipes u have posted so far.....and I could not believe how well it all turned out...thank you and please post some more...i need some help with veg curries...i would like to make them like when we eat out, looking forward to ur blog posts.

09/11/2012, 12:49

Sounds yummy and Fab !! I've only eaten this " store bought" ... your homemade sounds so much better !

21/11/2012, 09:09

@Ciccia
Wow,that is so wonderful! :) Just a thought about Rome fills my mind with appearances of Pasta Alfredo and Spaghetti Alla carbonara.
I wonder how many years back you lived in New Delhi,but we have some of the best Italian restaurants in the country,here today.Thank you so much for the follow! :)

@Usha
Thank you for trying Usha,I am so glad you liked them! :) Sure!If you have any particular curries in your mind that you would like me to post about,say so!
In the meanwhile,you may like to check my post on Thai Food - have shared a vegetarian curry there.

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