Potato Chaat Salad – a popular Indian Street Food.
I was so frustrated, agitated and angry this week. If you’re in my Facebook, you know why. A couple of months ago, someone I used to know opened a food blogging page. After that she blatantly started copying my ideas, recipes, posts and stories. She was smart enough to make a few superficial changes to the wording and claim it as her own. I was ignoring her until now and silently digesting. I thought one day she will realize what she had been doing and stop, but she never did and the blatant plagiarism continues. Thank you for your support and faith in me. Yes, she can copy my style or recipes but she can’t copy my passion for food and photography.
I do not want my feelings toward an irrelevant person ruin today’s recipe.
A couple of weeks ago I made potato chaat while preparing my Russian salad. I boiled some extra potatoes and prepared it the very next day. I posted it on my facebook page and a couple of you asked for the recipe.
What’s there to write about chaat, anyway? It’s the most well-known Indian street food after panipuri or phuchka. Sometimes, panipuri vendors prepare the chaat with the papri they have. You can compare chaat to an Indian summer salad, but it’s a lot more. The first time I had chaat was from a street vendor next to our home in Kolkata and fell sick immediately. I did not have a very healthy stomach back then which is why my mom prepared most of our food at home. When I grew up and started going to college, I would have chaat with friends or mom at Haldiram, Kolkata whenever we passed Rabindrasadan. I am not saying that that chaat was healthy, but it never gave me an upset stomach.
There are many different varieties of chaat. I prepared something my family loved to eat. You may also have a family chaat recipe which you love.
I see many food bloggers post recipes using store-bought, readymade powder. When I was growing up, the only powder we bought from the market was turmeric. I remember how much Ma used to regret not making her own fresh turmeric. She still grinds her chile powder, cumin powder or anything else she needs. There is no wonder why her food is so exquisite.
I, on the other hand, live in the fast lane. I try to use as little store bought powder as I can. When I asked Mom for a chaat recipe, she suggested I make tamarind and cilantro mint chutney. Then, when I asked if I can use the store bought ones, she replied, “Do whatever you want. Why are you asking me?” Yep, that’s my ma. She strives for excellence and perfect recipes. I followed her advice and made the chutney from scratch. Based on the results I have no regrets.
I recommend you make this tamarind chutney and green chutney at home rather than wasting money at the Indian store. The taste is going to be a lot different. If you’re on a time crunch, you can buy it from any grocery store like Whole Foods or your local Indian store. I used seedless tamarind, which my granny seasoned especially for me. Your local Indian grocer will probably carry the seedless kind as well.
Once you make the chutney the rest is easy. Just some chopping and shaking and your delicious salad will be in your tummy before you’ve realized. This recipe is purely vegetarian. No onion or garlic was used.
I soaked the tamarind in 1 1/2 cups of water overnight. If you forget to do this, soak them for at least 3 to 4 hours. After that, you need to squeeze and strain the pulp. I used a strainer. I followed Veg Recipes of India’s tips to soak it overnight.
Recipe of Potato Chaat
Ingredients
- Roasted Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- Tamarind Chutney
- 1 1/2 cup seedless tamarind pulp – Check notes above
- 1/4 cup (100 gram) jaggery
- 1 teaspoon black salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon roasted spice blend
- Cilantro Mint Chutney
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1 lemon juice
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon water
- Yogurt Chutney
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Potato Chaat
- 1 pound yukon gold potato, boiled and chopped
- black salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon roasted spice blend
- 1 teaspoon red chile powder
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 1 fresh green chile, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon tamarind chutney
- 1 teaspoon green chutney
- 1/4 cup sev (crunchy chickpea noodles)
Instructions
Roasted Spice Blend
1. In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, heat cumin and fennel seeds. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the aroma comes out. Set it aside to cool. In a spice grinder, blend it into a powder and set aside.
Tamarind Chutney
1. In a non-stick saucepan, over medium heat, heat tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt. Stir for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the jaggery coagulates. Add garam masala and roasted spice blend. Stir to mix well then set aside. Cool it before transferring to an air-tight container. It can stay in an air-tight container, refrigerated for months.
Cilantro Mint Chutney
1. In a food processor, add cilantro, mint, garlic, lemon juice, salt and water. Work it until it becomes smooth then set it aside in a bowl. You can keep it in an air-tight container, refrigerated for 2 weeks.
Yogurt Chutney
1. In a bowl, add yogurt and granulated sugar. Stir to mix well until it becomes a cold sauce.
Potato chaat
1. In a mixing bowl, add potatoes, salt and lemon juice. Shake it gently to mix well. Set it aside in a serving plate.
2. Sprinkle roasted spice blend and chile powder.
3. Add ginger, green chiles, and cilantro, followed by tamarind chutney, green chutney and yogurt chutney. Sprinkle with sev and serve.
Moms are always right . That’s why they are able to pass their recipes to us.
Thank you dear!
Never met her, but I already like your mother.
Looks delicious, Dolphia. I love chaat and this aloo-chaat looks yum! Gorgeous pictures too 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Dolphia, your blog is amazing.. I read your interview from My cooking secrets.., your positivity and your great recipes made me a new fan of you!!!! Kisses from Greece ♡
Thank you so much for your words! It means a lot to me 🙂
Just looking at the pictures have left me hungry and not to mention drooling. Gonna come back for recipes tomorrow. 12 in the night is definitely not the time for this post. Yumm is the word!