Chaat Attack - A Burst of 'Desi n Firangi' Flavors

As they say, 'time flies', and it truly does. With memories of past left behind and a glorious future awaiting, the present finds its way amidst the two, balancing them and nurturing itself. At times when I look back, the glimpses of the old posts drive me nostalgic, urging me to leave everything aside and get back in full swing to the magic and charm of writing. The day sooner would arrive when this fascination of mine would find its way ahead of just dreams and thoughts, and when 'time' would give me 'time' to express my love for cooking in form of words again.

The last three years were years of panoptic learning. Though I could not write much, but heaps of knowledge and oodles of experience brought forward another meaning of 'cooking' to me. From a doctor, I turned into a blogger, then a mommy blogger, and then a Caterer. Amsterdam showered its love on me with bountiful challenges. I chose not to just sit back and write, but to take a step further and make this blog 'go live'. With passion of cooking running in my nerves, the brain decided to take the challenge up, where everything would have to be managed alone and in a given time frame. Stress Management and Time Management were the two special attributes that I learnt the most in these two years. And now when I see my old blogs, yes, I feel time flies. The only thing that kept missing from all the fire and passion was 'innovation'. I was sticking to authentic Indian way of cooking with the set recipes as that was what everyone in this foreign land was looking for. Appreciation, love, admiration, encouragement and blessings were all the way and they stirred up the ardor in me to learn more Indian recipes in just the perfect Indian way. My predilection for Indian desserts/sweets and Chaats made catering even easier and interesting for me. I started experimenting on halwas that I had just tasted in royal weddings in Udaipur and soon the fingers, brain and taste buds learnt to replicate them. In winters, I came up with Moong Daal Halwa(Fudge), Badam Halwa, Akhrot/Walnut Halwa, Anjeer Halwa and Gaund Urad Halwa, but still the soul of creativity was missing somewhere.

An year back, some magic happened. As if the fairy godmother of Cindrella had heard my words and came to cast the spell on me; it was unbelievable. The Indian Ladies Event Group in Amsterdam came up with a cooking competition titled 'Mallika-e-Kitchen' with 'starters' being the theme. Thoughts were stormed and innovation found its soul in my cooking finally. The first click for me was 'Chaat', but Chaat had to be really different this time. After hours of rigorous cerebration, the cerebrum finally figured what and how should come on the serving plate. All I knew was that it would be a blend and burst of both 'desi' and 'firangi' flavors. I named it 'Chaat Attack' and won second prize with blessings and love of all food lovers. The platter had five different elements to it, all of which have been mentioned here. At first I decided to put them all straight in a single post, but then thought of showering the magic gradually in installments, so here I go with the first element of the Chaat Attack and the rest shall follow in rhythm. Get ready to dive in the tangy zesty flavors of this desi videshi chaat. :)

CHAAT ATTACK -

1. Firangi Aloo Matar Chaat (Potato Cups with Peas Filling)
2. Strawberry Shots (Pani Puri/Crispy Puffed Bread with Strawberry Lemonade)
3. Rasam Shots (Pani Puri/Crispy Puffed Bread with South Indian Rasam/Tangy Curry)
4. Pizza Chaat in Baked Tart
5. Cone Chana(Chickpea) Chaat






1. FIRANGI ALOO MATAR CHAAT (Potato Cups with Peas Filling)

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

For the Aloo Katori/Potato Cup - 

Ingredients:
1) Boiled Potato (3 medium sized)
2) Corn Flour: 1 tbs
3) Salt as per taste
4)Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
5) Oil: for deep frying



Method:

1. Boil 3 medium sized potatoes and mash them well.
2. Add turmeric powder, salt and corn flour to the mashed potatoes and divide the mixture is four equal portions.
3. Take the first portion and shape it like a cup/katori using your palm and fingers. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan/wok/kadai. Turn the flame to medium and carefully slide the aloo katori/potato cup in the oil. I usually keep it on the sieved ladle and immerse the ladle in oil. For the first one minute, I let the aloo katori/potato cup sit on the ladle and then I slide it into the oil. 
5. Fry till the katori/cup turns golden brown. Turn it and let the other side brown as well.
6. Take it out on a kitchen roll to remove the extra oil. 
7. Repeat the same for all the katoris/bowls.

For the Matar/Peas Filling -

Ingredients:

1. Boiled Dried Peas - 150 gms

2. Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp

3. Finely chopped green chillies: 2

4. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

5. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

6. Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp

7. Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

8. Salt to taste

9. Chana/Chhola Masala: 1 tsp

10. Asafoetida: a pinch

11. Oil

Method:

1. Soak dried peas overnight and then boil them in the morning taking 2-3 whistles. (The cooking time may vary based on the quality and type of peas used)
2. Take oil in a frying pan and heat it. 
3. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida to it followed by chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste. 
4. Now add all the spices and immediately add the boiled peas. Cook this for 3-5 minutes.

For the Dressing:

1. Cherry Tomatoes: 4

2. Cream Cheese - 100 gms

3. Mayonnaise/Hung Yogurt: 1 tbs

4. Dried Mint Leaves: 1/4 tsp

5. Grated Cucumber: 2 tbs

6. Green Mint Coriander Chutney

7. Yellow and Red Bell Pepper for decoration

Method:

1. Finely slice the bottom of the cherry tomatoes to make them sit. 
2. Now slice the top and scoop/spoon them to remove all the seeds from within.
3. Prepare Filling Mixture A by adding 4 tbs cream cheese, 1 tbs mayonnaise/yogurt,  and grated cucumber. Fill this mixture in a plastic cone/icing cone.
4. Prepare Filling Mixture B by adding 4 tbs cream cheese with dried mint leaves and fill this in a plastic cone/icing cone.
5. Slice the bell peppers in shapes you adore.

Assembling the Dish:

1. Take the Aloo Katori/Potato Cup and layer it with the Filling Mixture B.
2. Now top this with the matar/peas mix.
3. Smear the peas with the green chutney on top.
4. Take the cherry tomato and fill it with the Filling Mixture A. Place it over the green chutney.
5. Now embellish the cherry tomato with designed/sliced bell peppers.

Suggestions:

1. The deep fried potato cups be replaced by boiled n baked potato jackets as well. You can boil the potato, cut it into half, spoon out the centre and bake in an oven.
2. Instead of corn flour, you can also use bread crumbs in the potato bowl for that extra crisp.
3. Do not store the potato cups in a closed container else they will turn soggy. It is always better to consume them fresh, when on plate.
4. You can also make a peas curry using tomatoes and onions. This could be a gravy variation to the regular dry peas.
5. If the potato cups are breaking while frying, that indicates that the binding corn flour has to be increased. 
6. You can also make shallow fried aloo tikkis/potato patties and use them in a similar way by forming different layers with different elements. :)

Chatpati Palak Patta Chaat (Spinach Fritters)

How many of you count on calories before picking up the kitchen ladles and jars for trying out a new recipe? Well, for sure I'm not the one. I hardly think about the calories, the fat content, the sugars and carbs when I'm in a mood to try out a recipe. Though I'm a doctor and this is quite contradictory to how my behavior should be, but who says doctors don't have diabetes or hypertension. Jokes apart, I believe in eating good, and good here means something that is soul-satisfying.
Now this recipe here on this page is pretty close to my heart and tongue both, because it has been reigning these two for years. How can I forget the first time I saw this and had love at first sight. (My hubby was surely jealous about this! :P) That was the first time ever I had heard of something like that, I mean a 'Chaat' with 'Palak'!! Since then, I've been wanting hard to make this but don't know what was keeping me aback. Finally when I made this a couple of days back (You know how lazy am I not to post things on time!), I was almost on cloud nine, before even tasting it and getting remarks from my better loving half. As usual he said 'acchha hai', with his mind completely engrossed in some stupid cricket match, and hardly giving his taste buds the chance to relish something as great as this. Anyway, men are finally men, so I moved forward with my own bowl and skipped my dinner that evening because of this chatpati chaat (I'm sure many of you can do that! ;))



CHATPATI PALAK PATTA CHAAT

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Makes 10 Servings

Info Meter:

• Spinach is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, especially folic acid.
• Spinach is not only great for women, children and growing teens, but it can slow the age related decline in brain function and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• During the First World War, wine was fortified with spinach juice and given to French soldiers weakened by hemorrhaging.
• It is always advisable to cook the spinach than consuming raw spinach.

Ingredients:
For Palak Pakoda/Fritters:
1. Palak Patta/ Spinach Leaves: 10
2. Besan/Gram/Chickpea Flour: 1 cup
3. Water: 1 cup + 2 tbs
4. Salt: 1 tbs or as per taste
5. Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
6. Jeera/Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp
7. Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
8. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
9. Garam Masala: 1/4 tsp (optional)
10. Asafoetida/ heeng: a pinch
11. Oil: for deep frying

For Chaat:
1. Spicy Green Chutney
2. Sweet Tamarind/Imli Chutney
3. Bhel Ki Sev
4. Anaar/ Pomegranate Seeds



Method:
For Palak Pakoda/ Fritters:

1. Clean the palak/spinach leaves with water and pat them dry. Be careful not to break them.
2. If the leaves are too big, cut them into two halves each.
3. Now prepare the batter by adding the besan/gram flour with all the spices and water.
4. Add water slowly and keep mixing continuously so as to avoid formation of lumps.
5. When the batter reaches ketchup-like consistency, stop any further addition of water.
6. Heat some oil in a pan.
7. Check if it is properly heated by dropping a small portion of the batter and notice if it immediately rises up and starts floating. If so, the oil is ready.
8. Now carefully take one leaf/patta at a time in your palm. Coat it with the batter on both the sides and slide it smoothly in the hot oil.
9. Flip over after a minute and see that both are sides are well fried and are golden brown.
10. Take it out and drain any excess oil on a kitchen tissue. 
11. Fry the leaves one by one after coating them with the batter.
12. Do not keep them aside for cooling as this chaat is enjoyed hot and crisp.

Assembling The Chaat:

1. Now take one crisp spinach leaf/ palak patta and smear it lightly with spicy green chutney and tamarind/imli chutney.
2. Shower some pomegranate/ anaar pearls over it and finally ornament with bhel ki sev.
3. Serve immediately else the leaves will so soggy and soft.

Suggestions:

1. You can also add 2 tbs of rice flour to the batter to make the fritters even crispier.
2. Adjust spices as per your taste.
3. This dish is not meant for storing and keeping, rather make it and finish it at one go.
4. It always tastes heaven when served immediately so that the leaves stay crisp.
5. You can also add chopped onions and tomato to the chaat while assembling.
6. If the batter is too thick, the leaves will have a softer and thicker coat, but if it too runny, the batter will all scatter in the pan, so make sure the consistency is right.

Dosa Kebab Roll (When South meets North)

'Jaldi Aana' (In English, 'Come back soon') is that phrase which has made my life extra beautiful these days. Don't think that I'm the one who says this to my hubby when he's leaving for office in the morning (he he....IT guys can never follow that I know! :P) That's my pocket-sized rocket, I mean my little chirpy, perky doll who keeps talking the day long these days, firing all sort of questions, and then replying back to them with her silly wisdom. 'Jaldi aana' is her favorite phrase these days which she would say to anyone and everyone she meets. And just not that, she suffixes it so well with 'Theek Hai/ Okay'...ha ha...she's a complete dadi amma! :)

Well, I had been a little busy in the last months due to some reasons that just didn't let me sit on my blog for long. I know I will not be as regular on it as I was in Kenya, but cooking is still going on, and so will be blogging for sure. :) Today's post was an innovation in disguise. I had made daal kebabs and lacchha paranthas one evening and didn't know what to do with the leftover kebabs. Next morning, I was preparing breakfast for hubby and wooosh, this fab idea clicked! I had some green chutney with me, so made delicious Dosa Kebab Rolls with them, a variation to the usual Lucknowi Kebab Roll. They turned out fantastic, far better than what I had imagined. They were masaledaar/ spicy, they were flavorful, yet they weren't unhealthy. My hubby adored them and then I decided not to miss on the clicks and copyright my new creation.

DOSA KEBAB ROLL:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes (With previously cooked kebabs)

Info Meter: 

The protein-carb rich dosa with the spicy lentil/daal kebab is perhaps one of the quickest fusion breakfast you can have, commingling the flavors from the South and the North India. All you need is the ready to use dosa batter and some leftover kebabs that you might have after a gala dinner, or you might even think of making some fresh ones, especially for these hot rolls.

Ingredients:

For Kebabs:

1. Black Masoor Daal: 1 cup

2. Green Chilly:1

3. Garlic Pods: 3 or 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

4. Garam Masala: 1 tbs

5. Salt: 1 tbs or as per taste

6. Oil: 1 tbs for cooking and some for shallow frying the kebabs

7. Amchoor/ Dry Mango Powder: 1/2 tsp (optional)

8. Green Chutney

9. Sliced Onion Rings dipped in lime juice

For Dosa Batter: 

1. Split Urad Daal: 1 cup

2. Dosa Rice: 2 cups

3. Tuar/ Arhar Daal: a handful

4. Poha: 1/4 cup

5. Fenugreek Seeds/ Methi Dana: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Preparing Kebabs:

1. Soak the masoor daal for 2 hours. Then boil it with the green chilly till the daal gets fairly cooked and soft. It took me 20 minutes to do that.
2. Pound it with the back of a spoon and make into a fine paste. Take the green chilly out.
3. Mash the garlic pods and keep them ready.
4. Take 1 tbs oil in a pan and heat it. Add the daal paste to it followed by garam masala and salt. 
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes till it becomes thick, like dough. 
6. Let it cool.
7. Form balls with it and flatten them in between your palms. 
8. Take 2 tbs oil/ghee in a non stick skillet/pan. Shallow fry the kebabs on it, flipping on the side when they turn brown (Like for Aloo Tikki).
9. The kebabs are ready to use. You can either have them with Lacckka Paranthas or with the Dosa Rolls.

Preparing Dosa Batter:

1. Soak the daals and the rice separately for 4-6 hours.
2. Add methi seeds to the daal before soaking.
3. Now grind the daal to a smooth batter.
4. Add poha to the soaked rice and grind it well. See that it is not granular, but fine and smooth.
5. Now mix the two together and let them ferment overnight.
6. The batter should almost rise to double by the morning.
7. Now store it in the refrigerator and take small portions out for use whenever required.
8. Add a little salt to the batter before making dosas. If you find the consistency thick, add a little water, but the batter should not be runny.

Preparing Dosa:

1. Take a non stick tawa/skillet and heat it.
2. It should be really hot, else the dosa will not go crisp.
3. Pour a spoonful of the batter on the hot skillet and spread it in a circular fashion either with the back of the spoon or with the back of a flat bowl. The circular spreading should be in a single direction and without lifting the spoon or the bowl up till you finish.
4. Slide droplets of oil on the sides of the dosa and keep the flame on high. 
5. When you see it going brown in the centre and sides, insert a nonstick flat spoon/ khurpi from the sides and lift it up. 
6. Transfer this to a plate.

 

Assembling The Roll:

1. Take the dosa and spread a layer of green chutney on it. 
2. Crush one kebab and layer it vertically in the middle line of the dosa.
3. Jewel the crushed kebab with some lemon dipped onion rings and roll it over to get that perfect 'Roll'.
4. Serve hot with your loving heart.

 

Suggestions:

1. I used ready made batter available in the market, which was as good as the home-made one. 
2. Instead of daal kebabs, you can use any other variety of kebab as well.
3. After spreading chutney, keep your hands moving fast and serve immediately, else the dosa wrap will go soft and start breaking.
4. NEVER use oil on a non stick tawa/skillet before pouring the batter. It will not let the batter stick to the base properly. Always add droplets of oil after you have already spread the batter. 
5. If you want the dosa to go crispier, add a little rice flour to the batter, add more oil, and cook it even on the other side, which is not a general way of making dosa. 
6. You can also cut the roll in small portions and serve.
7. Make sure that your chutney is not watery, but thick, otherwise the dosa base will go soggy.
8. You can also make a multigrain dosa and add kebab to it for that healthy kick.

Plantain Kebab (Kacchhe Kele Ke Kebab)

'Greens', the word is on demand and huge calls for it in terms of events in this blogosphere. A week back, my hubby got a big bunch of raw bananas/plantains saying that they'll ripe in a day or two and we can enjoy their sweeter, riper version, though I certainly had a doubt almost eating my brain up that how come these plantains will ripen that early!! I was no wrong as for two passing days, they remained as green as they were, and I finally decided to float on some kebabs with them. I had never tried any kebabs or cutlets with them by then, so it was a perfect launch of something new from me. I made them in two batches, one grilled, and the other shallow pan-fried. My hubby fell for the grilled ones more while I somehow relished the pan-fried ones at an edge. The basic recipe was the same for both, just the cooking method varied, and this eventually lifted my brain for an event that I'll announce shortly. 

PLANTAIN KEBAB/ KACCHHE KELE KE KEBAB

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Baking/Cooking Time: 10-20 minutes

Makes 6 kebabs

Ingredients:

1. Plantain/ Raw Banana: 2

2. Onion: 1 (finely chopped)

3. Garlic pods: 2 or Ginger garlic paste: 1/2 tbs

4. Green Chilly: 1 (finely chopped) - optional

5. Fresh Coriander leaves: 1/4 cup

6. Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

7. Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp (optional)

8. Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp

9. Red Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp

10. Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

11. Salt to taste

12. Oil: 1 tbs + for frying

Method:

1. Boil the plantain/raw bananas in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles on medium to low flame (exactly like boiling potatoes).
2. Peel off  the outer hard skin after they have cooled down. It's even easier than peeling off potatoes. 
3. Take the inner pulp in a bowl and mash it well.
4. Now take a pan and add 1 tbs oil to it. Once hot, add in cumin seeds and wait till they splutter.
5. Immediately throw in the chopped onions and saute till they go golden brown. 
6. Now add all the spices and give a quick stir.
7. Add in mashed plantain and bring everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes till it's all well mixed.
8. At last, add the chopped coriander leaves and divide the dough in 6 equal parts. If you find it too hot to handle, let it cool down a bit.
9. Make flat discs with it and keep them aside.
10. If you plan to bake/grill them, pre-heat an oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes and line a baking tray with parchment paper or keep the grilling tray greased and ready.
11. Transfer the discs to the oven and grill for 10-20 minutes till they are browned and golden.
12. When choosing to shallow pan-fry, take a pan and add 2 tbs oil to it. Once hot, line up the discs and fry on medium heat till golden brown. Flip them over and fry on the other side as well.
13. Take the kebabs on a plate and serve with green chutney or mint dip. You could also sprinkle some chat masala over them and gulp straightaway without any toppings or dip.

 

Suggestions:

1. If you do not get plantains, you can use raw bananas, but make sure the bananas are not ripe at all. We need only raw ones/ plantains.
2. You can also add 2 boiled potatoes to the mix to change the flavor. I somehow find plantains a bit pungent in taste, so potatoes could add in some flavor.
3. The spices are all at your choice. I omitted garam masala because I personally don't like to merge it much in my meals owing to the heat it produces. But yes, Kebabs indeed taste better with garam masala. :)
4. Deep frying is also an open option, making it oily and calorie loaded, though most of us don't prefer this sinful guilt. If deep frying, add 1 tbs of corn flour for better binding. 

 The recipe flies off to:

Kabab Mela  at Cooking 4 all Seasons, Gimme Green by Rosh,

Holi Hai at My Cook Book, Bake Fest by Vardhini hosted by Kalyani,
 Cooking Concepts: Vegan Diet by Srav's,

EP Series: Herbs and Spices  by Erivum Puliyum, Holi Fest at Kalyani's space,

Sumee's Bon Vivant: Savory Items, ABC Series: Fruit Fiesta by Ramya,

Comfort Food by Daily Cuppa, Lets Cook: Greens by Radhika
Spotlight- Colorful Holi  initiated by Indrani and hosted by Chandrani,
 Color n Sweet - Holi Fest by Preeti,
I'm The Star by  Veg Food and Me, Hot and Spicy Treats at Food Corner