Chaat & Aloo Tikki

'Aloo'= potato & 'Tikki'= little cutlet

My photo was not appetizing at all- I took it in the dark with my iPad! So I put this internet photo instead, courtesy of www.funwadi.com

I was looking forward to today all week. Not only was it 'popcorn day' -I had planned in advance that I was going to cook- finally, a day without a heap of assignments due the next morning!
But I didn't actually have a dish in mind, and I take forever to even decide on something...
So when my mum said that she had been planning to make chaat and aloo tikki, I couldn't resist.

It's simple- minimal cooking or technique required. But they're full of flavour and loads of fun to eat.
For those of you who don't know (gasp! you're missing out...), chaat is a very Indian snack. There are numerous types, but there are some components that appear in almost all: potato, chutneys, chickpeas, masala, coriander, some crunchy fried component, some lentils, some crispy potato or batter sprinkles, some puffs (they look like rice krispie puffs), and yoghurt.
My absolute favourite is Dahi Batata Puri: small, crunchy, hollow boules- each filled with a bit of plain mashed potato and topped with a generous heap of lentils, yoghurt, tamarind chutney, coriander, masala and sprinkles.
Chaat is super easy to make and it'll please anyone. I know for a fact that you can get chaat kits in Chicago on Devon street, and any other Indian food shop will have the ingredients you need. Otherwise, improvise with a crunchy substitute like crackers or bruschetta.
After having aloo tikkis, you'll never have plain ol' mashed potatoes again. They're soft on the inside, crispy on the outside and taste much better than simple salt and pepper seasoning.
Make yourself and your family a snackity dinner- tell me what you thought!

Dahi Batata Poori Chaat

Little crunchy 'pooris'
Fresh coriander, washed and chopped
Coriander powder
Garam Masala
Cumin powder
Salt
Tamarind paste or chutney (if using paste, cook in a small pot with some water and sugar. Adjust their quantities until you have a sweet, spoonable chutney)
Optional: green mint chutney (I find it spicy!)
Optional: chili powder
Green or black lentils, cooked
Plain yoghurt, whipped until smooth
Chaat masala
Boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes (we actually used chickpeas instead this time, as we were having potato cutlets as well- both taste delicious.)
Optional :sprinkles (look for boondi or sev)

The key to chaat is being generous: heap on the stuff and enjoy it fresh.
Punch a hole in each poori (using the back of a small spoon helps to prevent the whole poori from collapsing). Fill each one with some chickpeas or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the lentils.
Spoon yoghurt over the whole plate and then do the same with the chutney. Sprinkle a couple of teaspoonfuls amount of coriander powder, cumin powder, a teaspoon chaat masala, some salt and some garam masala.
Top with the coriander and sprinkles.

Aloo Tikki

4 potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed (you don't really have to worry about over-boiling them, because the softer they are the better.)
Fresh coriander, washed and chopped
Coriander powder
Cumin powder
Salt
Optional: Turmeric powder
Garam masala
Sunflower, vegetable or canola oil

Mix in a heaping amount of each ingredient (except the oil!). Keep tasting until you're happy.
Shape them into little cutlets and fry them on a heated skillet with some oil. Cook until they're brown and crispy and flip to cook the other side.
 They can be reheated on a pan, in an oven or in a microwave.
Enjoy with some tamarind chutney, mint chutney or a yoghurt dip like raita.