Ingredient Ideology | Monsoon Special: Chaat Pe Charcha!!! By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.
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Chaat is an umbrella term for a wide range of roadside foods that usually feature some kind of fried dough with various ingredients that typically create a spicy, tangy, or salty flavour, though some chaat are sweet. Chaat is also referred to as a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The different kinds of Chaat names from the collection are Aloo and Peas Chaat, Aloo Paneer Chaat, Sprouts Chaat, Raw Mango Chaat, Palak Chaat, Idli Chaat, Boondi Chaat, Cutlet Chaat, Oats Chaat, etc. There are almost more than 500 varieties of Chaat across the country in various states, cities and smaller places as well. In India, “chaat” is a word that describes more than just a set of snacks: It's a way of life, and a category of food that hits practically every element that makes something crave able—sweet, sour, tangy, spicy, and crunchy.
The original chaat is a mixture of potato pieces, crisp fried bread dahi vada or dahi Bhalla, gram or chickpeas and tangy-salty spices, with sour Indian chili and saunth (dried ginger and tamarind sauce), fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish, but other popular variants included alu tikkis or samosa. There are those who say the word chaat originated from its literal meaning 'to lick'. It was so delicious that people licked their fingers and the bowl made of peepal leaves, called donas, in which it is often served. Others think it originated from the term chatpati (tangy). However, no one truly knows the origin.
Though Chaats are prepared with a mixture of various ingredients yet, they are not so unhealthy to eat. But, there is Chaat like Aloo Tikki chaat and samosa chaat can be unhealthy especially for the people who are trying to lose weight. In short, Samosa Chaat is made when samosa is broken into bite-sized pieces and served with masala, chutney, and spices. Even though it's amazing street food, it can also be made at home. It's the perfect dish to experiment with because there are so many different sauces and spices to try it with.
Here are a few easy to toss- mix- assemble and relish options for a Sunday evening with Chaats:
Recipe-1] CHATPATA MAKKAI WALA CHAAT
Ingredients:
Oil-2 tsp
Ginger-1 tsp chopped
Green chili-1 tsp chopped
Onion-1 small chopped
Tomato- 1 small chopped
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp. chopped
Chaat masala-1/2 tsp
Lime juice-1 tsp
Tomato ketchup-1 tsp
Red chili sauce-1 tsp
Aamchur powder-1/2 tsp
Imli chutney- 2-3 tsp
Flat papdis- 4-5 no
Nylon sev- 2-3 tbsp.
Fresh anardana- 2-3 tbsp.
Method:
1. boil the American sweet corn until tender and keep aside.
2. prepare all the cutting- chopping of the ingredients as listed, keep it all chilled until used.
3. heat oil add ginger, chilies, corn and saute for a few seconds, add salt to taste, lime juice, chaat masala and all other sauces and flavourings.
4. add in the boiled corn, onions, tomatoes, mint, coriander leaves and give it all a nice mix. Add in boiled potato cubes as well for a little more volume in the chaat.
5. toss the chaat well just before serving and assemble it all on a serving plate and garnish with anardana, coriander, imli chutney and serve it chilled.
Recipe-2] KALA CHANA FIRANGI CHAAT.
Ingredients:
Oil- 2 tsp
Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
Ginger-1 tsp chopped
Green chilies -1 tsp chopped
Kala chana- 2 cups boiled
Boiled potatoes-1 cup peeled and diced
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Chaat masala-1/2 tsp
Schezuan sauce- 2 tsp
Lime juice-2 tsp
Tomato ketchup-1 tsp
Onions-1 small chopped
Tomatoes-1 small chopped
Coriander-2 tbsp. chopped
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Lightly toasted peanuts- 2-3 tbsp.
Method:
1. prepare all the ingredients for the chaat masti mazaa for Sundays.
2. in a mixing bowl toss up together the ingredients for the chaat one by one, add
In seasonings to taste, sauces, chutneys and mix well.
3. add in the variety of veggies as per taste and give them all a nice mix.
4. add in a little cream cheese as well to balance the spice if needed.
5. garnish the chaat well with elements like sev, puries, coriander, chaat masalas and chutneys and offer them immediately garnish with toasted or roasted peanuts, mint, coriander and serve chilled.
Recipe- 3] MAKHANA MASTI CHAAT
Ingredients;
Makhanas- lotus seeds-1 cup
Oil-2 -3 tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper- to taste
Lime juice-2 tsp
Peanut butter- 2-3 tbsp.
Boiled corn-1/2 cup
Boiled potatoes-1/2 cup diced
Cucumber-1/2 no peeled and cut
Tomatoes- ½ cup diced
Boiled chicken cubes- ½ cup
Sliced chicken sausages-1/2 cup
Tomato ketchup-2- 3 tsp
For more options on veggies:
Saute sliced zucchini
Sliced saute mushrooms
Sliced black and green olives
Fresh herbs/ parsley/ micro-greens
Method:
1. prepare all the ingredients for the chaat recipe as listed.
2. lightly toast the makhanas in oil on a medium flame and add a little salt and pepper into the makhanas and remove, allow to cool.
3. in a mixing bowl, combine together all the ingredients for the makhana chaat recipe. Start with the basic ones, add the sauces, ingredients to flavour the makhanas. I personally also tried it with peanut butter with tomato ketchup, a dash of imli chutney and mint- coriander.
4. add in the chutneys, seasonings to taste and give it all a nice toss and set the chaat into small bowls, add makhanas towards the end and sprinkle some more chaat elements onto the chaat bowls and serve it immediately.
5. for garnishing Chaats we can also use grapes, kiwi, berries, orange segments, cubed papaya etc can also be an option to be used in Chaats.
Recipe- 4] PAKODE WALI CHAAT
Ingredients:
Assorted pakodas- onion bhajiyas, potato bhajiyas, moong dal pakodas,
Mix veggie pakodas, paneer pakodas, boiled egg pakodas, chicken pakodas etc can be used.
Onions- ½ cup chopped
Tomatoes-1/2 cup chopped
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Coriander leaves-2 tbsp. chopped
Peanut butter chutney-2-3 tbsp.
Red chili sauce-1-2 tsp
Garlic red chili chutney-2-3 tsp
Imli chutney- 2-3 tsp
Curd- ½ cup beaten.
Chaat masala-1/2 tsp
Roasted crushed jeera-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
Lime juice- 2-3 tsp
Fresh fruits- pomegranate seeds or sliced dragon fruit.
Method:
1. to prepare the chaat elements, ensure all the ingredients are freshly cut and kept chilled.
2. choose between the pakodas as per choice and taste. Take 2-3 varieties of the pakodas for this chaat recipe.
3. the chaat is to be assembled just before serving, we need to keep all the choice of toppings, chutneys etc ready with us for this session.
4. the pakodas can be fried and assembled as chaat while they are a little warm as well similarly the moong dal pakodas can also be served while a little warm with toppings.
5. ensure the elements of the chaat are handy and ready to use once we start the assembly process. Add the toppings randomly on the pakodas, use squeeze out bottles to remove out the assorted topping sauces, chutneys etc on the chaat.
6. garnish the chaat with assorted garnishes from the classics to the creative ones and make it look nice, attractive and tempting.
Recipe- 5] PEANUT WALI KHASTA MAZAA CHAAT
Ingredients;
Peanuts- 1 and a half cup, boiled, fried/ roasted.
For non-veg- boiled/grilled/tandoori chicken sliced
For veg- paneer tikka- cut sliced/ cubes
For the chaat dressing:
Oil-1 tsp
Imli chutney-2-3 tbsp.
ginger juliennes-2-3 tsp
lime juice-2-3 tsp
mango pickle masala-2 tsp
tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
raisins- 2-3 tsp
date puree-2-3 tsp
white vinegar-1 tsp
brown sugar-1- 2 tsp
mint and coriander- 2-3 tbsp.
onions- ½ cup chopped
tomatoes- ½ cup chopped
green chilies- 1 tsp chopped
chaat masala-1/2 tsp
salt and crushed pepper to taste
method:
1. prepare all the elements for the chaat and keep it all ready to toss.
2. choose between the veg and non-veg options for the chaat combination.
3. peanuts are a good choice to add into chaat and goes well with potatoes, boiled chana,
Rajma, chauli etc.
4. assorted fruits like apples, pears, orange segments, ripe papaya cubes, grapes etc.
5. add in the assorted chutneys, sauces, chaat ingredients as needed and give it all a nice toss.
6. we can also use papdis, sev, bhujiya, crushed mathhri and other crunchy stuff as well like soya sticks, namkeen chiwda etc can also add taste and volume into the chaat. Garnish and serve immediately.
Recipe- 6] RAJMA AUR KAIRI WALI CHAAT
Ingredients:
Boiled rajma- 2 cups
Boiled cubed potatoes- 1 cup
Onion-1/2 small chopped
Tomatoes- ½ cup chopped
Green chilies- 1 tsp chopped
Lime juice- 2 tsp
Chaat masala powder- ½ tsp
Kala namak- ½ tsp
Raw mango- ½ cup cut
Imli chutney-1/4 cup
Green chutney- ¼ cup
Tomato ketchup-1 tsp
Roasted crushed jeera-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder-1/4 tsp
Flat papdi-1/2 cup
Nylon serv-1/2 cup
Assorted fruits-1/2 cup cut
For garnish-
Assorted nuts
Assorted greens
Sliced dates
Method:
1. prepare all the ingredients for the chaat and ensure they are all cut and kept chilled.
2. boil the rajma and keep aside, boil potatoes and peel, cut into cubes and keep aside.
3. prepare all the other ingredients as well for the chaat and keep it handy.
4. fruits, garnishes, toppings, options for veg and non-veg need to be checked.
5. just before serving the guest. We need to add everything from rajma to veggies and kairi into the mixing bowl and add
Seasonings, chutneys, sauces as per taste and give it all a nice toss, mix.
6. assemble the chaat into small glasses, mini portion bowls etc and place colorful garnishes on the chaat and ensure it is looking fresh. Serve the chaat immediately and relish it.
