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:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-tamarind-chutney-imli-chutney.html

• Green chutney – 1/2 cup [OPTIONAL]

Link for Green Chutney:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney.html

• 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.

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.

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.

Veg Kothe : An Indo-Chinese delight

Veg Kothe is a new Indo-Chinese appetizer/snack dish. I personally savored Veg Kothe at a wedding reception in India recently. I, then, went to the chef to know the details of this tangy spicy delight. The chef was kind enough to give me the detailed recipe, with all the ingredients and method, the very next day. The recipe is accurate, as I tried making Veg Kothe in my kitchen few times and each time it comes out perfect. So for this recipe the credit goes to;

Mr. Bansilalji Chaudhary
Master Chef, Hotel Rhythm Palace
Ratlam (MP) India

Ingredients:
For Veg Kothe: [6 servings approx.]
Cauliflower (Gobhi) - 1 cup very small pieces
Mushroom - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Cabbage - 1/2cup finely chopped
Onions - 2 cups finely chopped
Ginger - 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Garlic - 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Green spring onions - 1 bunch chopped
Fresh green chilies - 2 minced
Fresh cilantro -2 tbsp fine chopped (for garnish)
Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Tomato ketchup -2 tbsp
Honey - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed
Black pepper - 1 tsp freshly ground
Orange food color - 1 pinch
Cooking oil for frying
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Cut cauliflower, cabbage, green bell pepper, mushrooms accordingly. Keep aside.
• In a bowl, add maida, salt, baking powder, all the above chopped vegetables and 1 cup chopped onions. Now add water to make a thick batter. Mix well.
• In a pan heat cooking oil to fry. Make fritters of this batter, deep fry till they turn light golden. Drain on a kitchen towel and keep aside.
• In another pan heat 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add remaining chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté till it turns golden brown. Now add tomato ketchup, honey,  salt, lemon juice, freshly grounded black pepper powder and orange food color. Mix well and it’s ready to serve.

Garnish:
Garnish Veg Kothe with freshly chopped green spring onions and chopped cilantro. Enjoy as an appetizer or anytime snack.

Raj Kachori

Kachori is one of the most common western Indian snacks. It is great on its own with tea/coffee and even tastes better as assembled chaat. It lasts for a couple of weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack.

Ingredients:

For Raj Kachori [Approx 15 pieces]

For cover:

All purpose flour [Maida] – 2 cups
Melted butter or ghee – 2 tbsp
Water (enough to make firm dough)
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste

For Filling:

Moong dal [Yellow split] – 1.5 cups
Saunf [Fennel seeds] – 1 tsp
Ajwain [Carom seeds] – 1 tsp
Jira [Cumin seeds] – 1 tsp
Hing [Asafoetida powder] – 2 pinch
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Amchur powder – ½ tbsp
Garam masala powder -1 tsp
Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

To make filling:

• Soak moong dal for at least 4 hours.
• Steam moong dal till its half done. Keep aside to cool. In the food processer, coarsely ground the moong dal.
• In a pan, heat cooking oil. Add cumin seeds. When it starts splattering, add hing and steamed moong dal. Also add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, amchur powder and ajwain. Mix well.
• Cook till the filling is all dry. Keep aside to cool.

To make Kachoris:

• Combine all purpose flour, butter or ghee and salt. Mix evenly. Now add little by little water to make flaky dough.
• Knead well to make it firm dough.
• Keep the dough aside for 5-10 minutes.
• Take small ball size dough. Roll it into small circles. Place 1 tbsp of prepared filling in the centre and bring the edges together. Make an even ball; flatten it a bit by pressing your thumb in the center gently.
• Heat cooking oil for frying the kachoris. Oil should be medium hot.
• Deep fry kachoris very slowly till it is crisp and golden on both the sides.
• Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in an air tight container.

Note: Kachoris can have different fillings such as peas, mawa filling as dessert etc.

Serving Suggestions:

Assemble Raj kachori as chaat. Place 2 kachoris on a serving plate. Garnish it with sweet tamarind-date chutney, green chutney and spiced yogurt. Also add chopped red onion, namkeen sev and chopped cilantro.

Raj kachori is ready to be served.

Chole tikki: An utimate Chaat

Chole Tikki: An ultimate Chaat
Chole tikki is one of the most common mouth-watering street foods. It is a kind of Chaat [Spicy and tangy snack] which is flavorful and filling at the same time.

Ingredients:
For the Aloo tikki: [Approx 8 tikkies]
 

Potatoes –3 medium [boiled and peeled]
Bread – 2 slice [cut the brown sides and use the white part only]
Green chilies –2 finely chopped
Cilantro – 2 tbsp finely chopped
Roasted Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Black pepper –1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil for shallow frying

For Chole:
Kabuli Chana or Chole [Garbanzo beans]dry – 1.5 cup
Tea bags- 2
Dry Ingredients for gravy:
Whole garam masala – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Chana Masala -1.5 tbsp

Wet Ingredients for gravy:

Onion -3/4 (pureed or finely chopped)
Tomato puree -1 cups
Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Green chili -1 tsp (finely chopped) [Optional]
Olive oil – 2 tbspn
Salt as per taste

Method: to make Aloo Tikki

• In a bowl, take boiled and peeled potatoes. Add bread, green chilies, cilantro, cumin powder, black pepper and salt. Mix very 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. Tikkies can be round or oval shaped. Smooth out the edges of the tikkies and keep aside. [Apply little oil on your palms to avoid tikkies sticking on your hand].
• Heat griddle or pan, add 1 tbsp oil and fry the tikkies golden brown on both the sides. Keep the heat medium high. Drain them on kitchen towel and keep aside.

Method: to make Chole

• Wash dry Kabuli Chana or Chole a couple of times and soak them overnight in water.
• Add soaked chole, turmeric powder, salt and 4 cups of water and tea bags in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook it for 30 minutes on medium heat.
• For gravy, heat olive oil in a pan. Add whole garam masala. Let it crackle. Then add pureed onions and sauté it, till turns light golden. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and chopped green chilies (optional). Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato puree, red chili powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder in the gravy and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes on medium-low heat.
• Discard the tea bags from the boiled chole. Add the gravy to the boiled chole and add a cup of water and simmer it on low heat for 10 minutes.
• Finally, add chana masala and let it simmer for 2 more minutes.
• Chole is ready to serve.

Garnish  and serving suggestions:
Place 2-3 Aloo tikkies on a serving plate. Pour 1-2 ladles full of Chole. Garnish it with sweet tamarind-date chutney, green chutney and spiced yogurt. Also add chopped red onion, namkeen sev and chopped cilantro.

Yummy Tikki-Chole is ready to eat.

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian is one of the common Indo Chinese dish. It is flavorful yet simple. This recipe is a very special request of one of my dear friend. Hope you like it.

Ingredients:
For Gobi Manchurian: [4 servings approx.]
Gobi [Cauliflower] -1 whole
Maida [All purpose flour] – ¾ cup
Corn flour -1/4 cup
Onion – 1 chopped
Ginger- 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Garlic- 1.5 tbsp finely chopped
Green spring onions- 1 bunch
Ajinomoto [Chinese salt] – ¼ tsp
Soy sauce- 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup -2 tbsp
Cooking oil for frying
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Cut cauliflower into bite size florets and wash thoroughly. Keep aside.
2. In a bowl, add corn flour, Maida, salt, half ginger, half garlic and little water to make a runny batter. Now dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry till they turn golden. Drain on a kitchen towel and keep aside.
3. In a pan heat 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add chopped onions, remaining ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add fried Gobi florets to it. Mix well and also add ajinomoto, soy sauce and tomato ketchup. Add some salt if needed. [Soy sauce already has some salt.] Mix well and its ready. 

Garnish:
Garnish Gobi Manchurian with freshly chopped green spring onions. Serve hot with plain steamed rice.

Pav Bhaji : An authentic street food

Pav Bhaji
“Pav” is a kind of soft bread which is accompanied by “Bhaji” i.e. a kind of mix vegetable. It is spicy and tangy. Pav bhaji is one of the most popular Indian street foods. Every pav bhaji has a unique taste. I’m sharing my version with you. Hope you like it.

Ingredients: For Pav Bhaji [6 servings approx.]
Gobhi (Cauliflower)-1/2  cut into florets(not too small)
Potatoes – 2 (peel and cut into halves)
Green bell pepper- 1 chopped
Carrots – 3 medium [cut into chunks]
Peas  – 1 cup
Onion -1 chopped
Fresh chopped Garlic -1/2 tbsp
Fresh chopped Ginger – ½ tbsp
Tomato – 1 medium (finely chopped)
Tomato puree – 2 tbsp
Green chili – 1 (cut into 4 pieces-lengthwise)
Cilantro -1 tbsp(finely chopped)
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Butter – 2 tbsp [optional ]
Pav [Bread] – 20 pieces approx.

Dry Spices:
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds -1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) powder -1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Pav bhaji masala – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Cut the Gobi into florets and wash thoroughly. Keep in a colander for few minutes to drain all the water from the florets. Peel and cut potatoes as directed and keep aside. Cut bell pepper and carrots as directed.
• In the pressure cooker, cook potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and peas for 15 minutes with ½ cup of water. Mash the vegetables roughly.
• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida powder. When it crackles, add chopped onions to it. Sauté for 2 minutes add chopped green chilies. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes, add chopped garlic and ginger mix well. Turn the heat to medium-low for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and keep sautéing till the tomatoes are cooked. Add tomato puree and chopped bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add mashed vegetables to the pan. Add all dry spices (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt). Mix well. Keep it half covered for few minutes and then mix again. Add pav bhaji masala for the perfect aroma.

Garnish:
Garnish with chopped cilantro, a lime wedge and finely chopped sweet onions.
Enjoy hot with pan toasted fresh pav[bread] and butter.