Chaat Special: Sev puri dahi puri (SPDP)

Chaat is the common term used for mouth watering street food in India. It has many varieties as gol guppe or pani puri, sev puri, dahi puri, chole tikki, papdi chaat, bhel puri. All of them has common mint-cilantro (green chutney) and tamarind (sweet imli) chutney. If you have all the ingredients, these chaats can be prepared in jiffy. I always keep green chutney and tamarind chutney ready in my refrigerator so preparing chaat is very easy.

The recipe here is for Sev puri dahi puri also called as SPDP, in Pune, India. I’m using store bought pani puri shells. They are as good as home made ones; sometimes even better:). These shells are versatiel, can be used with pani to eat as golguppe/ pani puri  or can be prepared as sev puri dahi puri. The same recipe is also called sev batata puri beacuer the pani puri shells are filled with boiled potatoes. Enjoy this lip smacking snack.

Ingredients:
For Sev puri dahi puri: Approx. 4 servings

• Plain Golguppe (pani puri shells) – 24
• Fine namkee sev– 2 cups
• Potatoes boiled – 2
• Sweet onion – 1 finely chopped
• Fresh cilantro – 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Tamarind chutney – 3/4 cup

Link for Tamarind Chutney:
https://shvetahora.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/sweet-tamarind-chutney-imli-chutney/

• Green chutney – 1/2 cup [OPTIONAL]

Link for Green Chutney:
https://shvetahora.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney/

• Yogurt (dahi) -1 cup (add some salt and sugar)
• Chaat Masala – 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Boil and peel potatoes. In a bowl, mash these potatoes roughly and add chaat masala and salt. Mix and keep aside.
2. Finely cut sweet onions and fresh cilantro, keep aside.
3. Prepare tamarind chutney and green chutney as directed.  Keep aside.
4. In a bowl, take yogurt; add some sugar and salt. Mix well. Keep aside.
5. Now for final chaat assembly; first take puffed plain golguppe or Pani Puri and make a small hole in each of them. Fill each puri with boiled potatoes.
6. Keep 6 Pani Puris in each plate. Add a ladle full of smooth yogurt mix on these puris.
7. Now add a tsp tamarind chutney and green chutney on each puri.
8. Top it off with chopped onions and fine namkeen sev.
9. Finally garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, chaat masala, red chili powder and salt.

Enjoy this mouth watering chaat as soon as assembled, or it will get soggy.

Sweet Tamarind Chutney (Imli chutney)

Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind or Imli chutney is a must condiment for any chaat snack. It can be prepared in advance and can be stored for days.

Ingredients:

• Tamarind (Imli) – 2 cups without seeds
• Jaggery (Gur) – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Pitted dates (Pind khajoor) – 1 cup [OPTIONAL]
• Roasted cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
• Rock salt –  2 tsp
• Water – 2 cups

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add tamarind, dates and water.
2. Boil it first and let it simmer on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Check, all the dates and tamarind become pulp. Cool it a bit and sieve the pulp through a thin strainer.
3. Put the pulp back in the pan; add jaggery, sugar and all the spices. Cook on medium low heat till the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Dip a spoon in the sauce, if it coats the spoon evenly and is not too runny, tamarind chutney is ready.
5. It can be stored in an air tight container, in the refrigerator for a month.

Enjoy tangy and sweet tamarind chutney with your favorite snack or in any chaat.

Tricolor Bread Pakora

Ingredients : For bread pakoras : 8 pieces

For stuffing:
Potatoes  – 2 boiled and peeled
Onion –  finely chopped
Green chilies  – 1 finely chopped
Cilantro – 2 tbsp finely chopped
Roasted Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder – 1 tsp
Chaat masala – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

To make cover:
Bread   –  4 slices
Besan (gram flour)  – 1.5 cup
Red chili powder  – 1/2  tsp
Turmeric  powder  – 1/2  tsp
salt as per taste

For pakora assembly:

Tomato Ketchup  – 1/2 cup
Green chutney -1/2 cup

Cooking oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a bowl, prepare stuffing, by adding boiled and peeled potatoes, Onions, green chilies, cilantro, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, amchur powder, chaat masala and salt. Mash it all together. Keep aside.
• Take one bread slice, apply a thin layer of ketchup on it . Cover it with another bread slice. Now apply a layer of potato stuffing on it. Cover with another bread slice. On this slice apply a thin layer of green chutney and finally cover it with a bread slice.
• The whole sandwich should have following layers:  Bread  – ketchup – Bread  – Potato stuffing – Bread  – Green chutney – bread .
• Cut the whole sandwich in 4 quarters. Quarters are easy to manage while frying. Keep them aside.
• For the covering batter: In a bowl, take besan, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Now add some water to make a smooth batter. Batter should not be runny.
• Now take each sandwich quarter, dip evenly in the above batter and fry it in medium hot oil.
• When the pakoda looks evenly golden on all sides, take it out and drain it on the kitchen towel.
• Let it cool a bit. Now cut it diagonally to reveal all the layers.

Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or cool lemonade.

Ragda Patties (Potato cutlets and dry peas curry)

Ingredients : (For approx. 4 servings)
For Patties:
Potatoes  – 4 (boiled)
Bread slices – 4
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp
Cooking oil for shallow frying
Salt as per taste

For Ragda:
Dried whole peas – 1 cup
Onion – ½ cup finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tsp minced
Garlic – 1 tsp minced
Tamarind paste – 1 tbsp
Jaggery – 1 tbsp powdered
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp

Dry Spices for Ragda:
Jira (Cumin seeds) – 1 tsp
Hing (Asafoetida powder) – 2 pinch
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Amchur powder (dry mango)– ½ tbsp
Garam masala powder -1 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method: To make Ragda

• Soak the dried peas overnight or for at least 6 hours. Pressure cook the peas till done.
• Heat oil in a deep pan, Add cumin seeds and Asafetida powder. When it starts crackling, add onions. Sauté onions for a few minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
• Now add all the dry spices. Sauté for 2 minutes.
• Now add boiled peas, tamarind paste and jaggery. Mix well. Add 2 cups of water and let it simmer for 15 minutes on low-medium heat. Mix well and ragda is done.

To make patties:

• Boil and peel potatoes. Grate potatoes for smooth texture. Keep aside.
• Take the brown edges off the bread slices. Now dip the bread slices in warm water, aand then squeeze out excess water.
• Add these bread slices to the potatoes. Also add red chili powder, roasted cumin powder and salt. Mix well and form a smooth dough if it.
• Make 8 equal portions of the dough. Take each portion in your palm make a tennis ball sized ball. Now flatten it to make tikki or patties. Patties can be round or oval shaped. Smooth out the edges of the patties and keep aside. [Apply little oil on your palms to avoid patties sticking on your hand].
• Heat griddle or pan, add 1 tbsp oil and shallow fry the patties golden brown on both the sides. Keep the heat medium high. Drain them on kitchen towel and keep aside.

Garnish and Serving Suggestions:
Place 2 patties on a serving plate. Pour 1-2 ladles full of ragda. Garnish it with sweet tamarind-date chutney, green chutney and spiced yogurt. Also add chopped red onion, namkeen sev and chopped cilantro.

Yummy Ragda -Patties is ready to eat.

Corn Fritters [Bhutte ke bhajiye]

Rainy or gloomy weather calls for something hot, something crispy. What will be the better option than Spicy Fritters: Garma garam bhutte ke bhajiye with a cup of tea. Enjoy this easy recipe for corn fritters.

Ingredients;
For Corn fritters [Approx. 4 servings]
Corn kernels [Bhutte] -2 cups (frozen or fresh)
Gram flour [Besan] – 2 tbsp
Green chilies -2
Cilantro -1/2 cup (leaves only)

Dry spices:
Cumin seeds [Jira] – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder-1 tsp
Salt as per taste

For Garnish:
Chaat masala -2 tsp
Freshly squeezed Lemon juice -1 tbsp

Method:

• Thaw frozen corn kernels in microwave for 2 minutes. For fresh corn, carefully cut the kernels using sharp knife.
• In the food processer, add corn kernels and green chilies and pulse 4 times till it becomes coarse mixture. Keep aside.
• In a large bowl, add processed corn mixture, besan, cilantro and all dry spices. Mix well. Do not add water or it will make the batter runny.
• Heat cooking oil in a frying pan. Drop fritter batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Garnish:
Sprinkle chaat masala on the fritters and also add some lemon juice. Serve immediately. Enjoy with green chutney and a cup of hot tea.

Note: You can also make chaat of these fritters, just add green chutney, tamarind chutney, finely chopped sweet onions, finely chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, nylon sev and some chaat masala. Viola! Chaat is ready.

Hariyali Bhel Puri [Mumbai style street food/ Chaat]

Bhel puri or Bhel is a very common Western Indian Street food. This bhel is named Hariyali bhel as it calls for more Green Mint-cilantro chutney than the sweet tamarind chutney. Also it has abundant fresh cilantro for great flavor.

Ingredients:

For Hariyali bhel puri [6 servings]
Dry Ingredients:
Puffed rice – 2 cups
Papdi – ½ cup crushed [home made or store bought]
Ratlami sev – ½ cup
Namkeen mixture – ½ cup
Nylon sev – ½ cup

Wet Ingredients:
Boiled potatoes – 2 cups chopped
Sweet Onions -1 cup finely chopped
Tomatoes –  1cup finely chopped
Cucumber – 1cup finely chopped
Cilantro -1/2 cup finely chopped
Raw mango – ¼ cup finely chopped [if available]
Green Chutney – 3/4 cup
Sweet tamarind chutney -1/4 cup

Spices:
Chaat Masala* – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – ¼ tsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

Green Chutney : Pls. follow the link for Green chutney recipe.
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney.html

Tamarind chutney : Pls. follow the link for Tamarind chutney recipe.

Papdi : Pls. follow the link for papdi recipe.
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/namkeen-papdi-for-papdi-chaat.html

For preparing Hariyali bhel puri:

• In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
• Now add all the wet ingredients and spices. Mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and Nylon sev.
• Serve immediately or it will get soggy.

Enjoy this quick recipe as your evening snack.

*Chaat Masala, Nylon sev, Ratlami sev, Papdi and Namkeem mixture is easily available at all Indian grocery stores.

Chole Tikki: An ultimate chaat

Chole Tikki: An ultimate chaat

For details please go to my new and updated site:

Shveta’s Recipes

Aloo vada or Aloo bonda or Batata vada [Fried potato snack]

Aloo Vada or Aloo Bonda [Fried potato snack]

Aloo vada is one of the most popular snacks in almost all the regions in India. Sometimes its called Aloo vada, other times it is Aloo bonda or Aloo bada etc. It is simple, easy to make snack in cold or rainy weather. This recipe is M.P. [madhya pradesh] style Aloo vada.

Garma garam aloo vada ke saath ek cup chai, mazaa aa jaye……

Ingredients:

For Aloo vada or Aloo bonda (8 vadas)

Besan [Gram flour] – 1.5 cups
Ladu besan [ Coarse besan] – ½ cup
Potatoes – 3 medium
Onion – 1 medium (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder – 1 pinch
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2 (finely chopped)
Cilantro –  2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Lime/Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Baking power – 1 pinch
Salt as per taste
Cooking oil to fry

Method:

• Boil and peel potatoes. Mash them and keep aside.
• In afrying pan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Add Cumin and mustard seeds. When it starts splattering, add asafoetida powder.
• Now add chopped green chilies and chopped onions to it. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Don’t fully cook the onions. Keep them crunchy. Add turmeric powder.
• Add mashed potatoes to the pan. Also add  salt, red chili powder, cilantro, lime juice and sugar. Mix well.
• If it off the heat and let it cool. Make 8 even balls of it. Keep aside.
• In another bowl, add regular besan and ladu besan, ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp red chili powder, a pinch of baking soda, add some water,  mix well  for about 4-5 minutes with wire whisk and make an even batter of it. Batter should not be runny, it should be thick.
• Heat cooking oil for frying the vadas.
• Cover the potato balls in the batter and deep fry them in medium hot oil.
• Drain it on the kitchen towel when turns golden and crispy.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup with a cup of tea.

Green chutney recipe:
https://shvetahora.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney/

Namkeen Papdi [For papdi chaat]

Namkeen Papdi (For papdi chaat)
Namkeen papdi is a versatile snack. It is great on its own with tea/coffee and tastes even better as papdi chaat. It lasts for few weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack. 

Ingredients:
For Namkeen papdi

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

All purpose flour – 1cup
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Ajwain – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Water (enough to make firm dough)
cooking oil to fry

Method:

• Combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, cumin seeds, ajwain seeds, vegetable oil and salt.
• Mix together well and add water very slowly to make dough. Knead well to make it a little firm dough (puri kind).
• Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.

• Divide the dough into 4 parts.
• Take one part and make a ball of it. And then with the help of rolling pin, roll it into thin sheets. Cut the papdi in desired shape or size and prick it with the fork so that it will not puff when fried.
• Repeat the process with the remaining 3 parts of dough.

• Heat cooking oil for frying the papdi.
• Deep fry the papdi till it is crisp and golden in color.
• Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in an air tight container. 

Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy just papdi with the tea or make papdi chaat.

Quick and easy Papdi Chaat

Quick and easy Papdi Chaat

“Chaat” word itself makes your mouth water. Usually it takes little time and effort to make “papdi” at home, so I tried this quick and easy version and got almost the same yummy results. Great for summer snacks. Kids love this tangy chaat too!

Ingredients:
For Papdi Chaat [6 servings]

Papdi or Tortilla chips – 2 cups (a bit crushed in pieces)
Potatoes – 2
Sweet Onions -1
Tomatoes- 2 (optional)
Cilantro -1/2 cup
Garbanzo beans – 1 can
Green Cilantro chutney – 1 cup
Imli sweet chutney – 1 cup
Thin sev – 1 cup
Yogurt- 1 cup
Sugar – 1tsp

Dry Ingredients:
Chaat Masala – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp (powdered)
Salt as per taste

Method:
Preparation for papdi chaat:
1. Blend yogurt into smooth consistency by adding a little milk (not to runny). Add salt, sugar and half chaat masala to it. Keep aside.

2. Prepare green cilantro chutney and Imli chutney and keep ready. (You can also fine these chutneys in Indian grocery stores.)

3. Boil, peel and mash potatoes. Finely chop sweet onions and tomatoes. Clean and chop cilantro finely as well.

4. Take the garbanzo beans in a colander and wash thoroughly.

Assembling the Papdi chaat:
In a plate, arrange the tortilla scoops evenly. On each scoop add potatoes and garbanzo beans. Now add one big spoon of beaten yogurt on the filled scoops, all over the plate.

Then add green and imli chutney over it. Top it off with fine sev, chopped onions, tomatoes (optional), chopped cilantro, chaat masala, red chili powder and salt.

Serve immediately and enjoy this lip smacking snack anytime 🙂 .