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.

A chaat wallah frying tikkis on a large griddle.

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

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