Aloo Tikki Chaat

This dish is a recreation of one that I tasted in Newcastle while studying in England. England has a good population of Indian people, so it is very easy to find great Indian restaurants there that serve some amazing food. Aloo tikki chaat is popular street food in India (Delhi), and its components aloo tikki and channa chaat are said to have originated right around there in northern India, Uttar Pradesh. It is a hearty and flavorful vegetarian dish that is sure to satisfy any hungry tummy.

Aloo Tiki:
Ingredients:
     2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
     1/4 onion, finely chopped
     1 clove of garlic, chopped and masked into a paste
     1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated
     1-2 green chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped
     1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
     handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
     1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
     1 teaspoon of garam masala
     1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
     1/2 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
     salt to taste
     oil for shallow frying

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with room temperature water. Bring to a boil, add salt, and cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain, mash, and place in a mixing bowl.

Boiled potatoes

Mashed

In a frying pan or wok, place 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium flame. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, and bell pepper. Fry for about two minutes and then add the cumin, masala, and turmeric. Fry for another minute or so and then turn off the flame. Add the fried seasoning to the bowl with the mashed potato Add the cilantro and lime juice. Mix well and taste to see if more salt is needed.

Seasoning

Potatoes mixed with sauteed seasoning

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add some oil just to coat the bottom of the pan. Take handfuls of the potato mixture, form into a ball, and then press down to create a round patty. Place on the hot pan. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Frying the aloo tikkis

Channa Chaat:
Ingredients:
     3 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
or  1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled or pressure cooked until almost done
     1 onion
     1 clove of garlic
     1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
     1 tomato
     1-2 fresh green chillies, seeds removed
     handful of cilantro
     1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste
     pinch of sugar
     1/2 teaspoon of chaat masala
     1 teaspoon of channa masala
     1 teaspoon of ground cumin
     2 teaspoons of tamarind chutney (or 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste)
     1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
     2 tablespoons of olive oil
     Boiling water

In a blender or food processor, puree the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, chillies, and cilantro. Heat the oil in a wok over medium flame and add the blended seasoning mixture. Fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste, sugar, chaat masala, channa masala, and cumin. Fry for another 2 minutes or so, and then add the chickpeas. If using the tamarind paste, add now. Stir and add some boiling water to the pot (about 1/2 cup if the beans are soft or 2 cups if they need to boil a while longer). Stir, bring to a simmer, and cover. Cook for a few minutes until the peas are tender and the gravy has thickened. If you are using the tamarind chutney, add that now. If the peas are still hard you can always add more water and boil longer. Once it is finished, turn off the flame, add the lime juice and stir. The dish is now ready to serve.

Boiled chickpeas

To put together the aloo tikki chaat:
Dish some of the channa chaat into a bowl. Place one or two aloo tikkis on top (depending on the size of the serving). Sprinkle some chopped onion and red bell pepper over the top and drizzle with tamarind chutney, if desired. Finish with some chopped cilantro.