Alu Chaat - Atrauli Style

Alu Chaat - Atrauli Style

Chaat is a very common road side snack in Northern India. But like any other dish this too is made in different ways in different parts of country. I passed through Atrauli - a tehsil in Aligarh and found a totally different way of presentation of the Alu Chaat - Hot and Spicy. Pls enjoy it healthier at home or chose to stop when you are crossing Atrauli by road.

Ingredients :

Boiled and Mashed Potato - 3- 4 medium Size
Paneer- 100 gm (cut in small cubes)
Boiled Chhole - 100 gm
Green Chilli - 2 Chopped
Onion - finely chopped - 1 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1 pinch
Salt - As per taste
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Refined oil for frying

Chutney - 1. Sonth ki chutney 
                 2. Green Pudina chutney - very low consistency

Preparation :

On the red hot taba pour 1/2 cup refined oil. In the simmering oil put mashed potato, keep stirring, add boiled chhole, green chilly, chopped onion, salt and garam masala powder (also chilly powder if you want spicy). Keep stirring till they turn pink. Set them aside. Again on the taba in two tbsp refined oil fry the chopped paneer. When soft add the fried potato mix and stir for some more time. Put it in a small bowl add a tbsp of sonth ki chutney and green pudina chutney. Serve hot.

Spicy and lip smacking.

Enjoy till I come up with more of the chaats soon.


Aditya

Tomato Chutney - Sweet

Tomato Chutney - Sweet  - I

Tomato is an integral part of Indian Cuisine. Be it any dish - day to day or special, its very rare that it misses to be in the kitchen. Not only adds taste to the various dishes it finds its place in, it truly develops the colour , look and and fragrance as well. Aside from being a part of other dishes Tomato can also as the main ingredient for some dishes. 

Here I would like to talk about the different types of Chutney we can prepare with Tomato.

Let's start with Meethi tamatar ki chutney (Tomato Chutney - sweet)

Ingredients :

Tomato - Ripe and Red - 1/2 kg

Gud / Khandsari - 200 gm

Aniseed (Saunf) - 1 tsp

Dry Coconut - 1/4 cup (cut into small peices)

Cashew (Kaju) - for garnishing

Raisin (Kismis) - for Garnishing

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Red Chilly - 2 

Tejpatta - 2

Salt - one pinch

Preparation :

Wash the Tomato and cut it into small cubes.

Cooking :

Pre heat a round bottom kadhai. Put the ghee and let it melt. Add Red Chilly, Tejpatta and Aniseed. Let it crackle. To it add the Tomato and cover it. Let the tomatoes melt under slow heat. After the tomato has melted add gud and pinch of salt and cover. Let it melt . Keep stirring for 10 mins on slow flame (or till the tomato and gud has properly mixed.) Add dry coconut cubes and remove from the flame. Your chutney is ready.

Remove the Chutney serving bowl and garnish with Raisin and Cashews.

Serve with any snacks or add on to any daily cuisine. Kids love it with Parantha.

(If preparing for kids we can avoid Chilly in the crackle) 

Enjoy. See u again with another variant.

Adi

Baati Chokha

India is a land of diversity. “Diversity” - even the scope of the word becomes limited, when we think of the variety it has. Be it anything. The Culture, the language, the landscape, the dress, and ............... even the food that the people here so deliciously relish upon.

It is so diverse, that even a common dish which you would find at each dining table would be having a different taste if you are sitting at your neighbour’s place. Out of this gigantic dish basket, let me throw some light on the regional cuisines. I am moving towards the east on the borders of the twin state UP and Bihar. A common staple food – very healthy and filling indeed – the common “Baati Chokha” or Floor Balls stuffed with sattu baked in Cow-dung cakes.

Baati:

Ingredients:

Wheat Floor: 250 gms.

Roasted Gram Floor (Sattu): 100 gms.

Salt: As per taste

Garlic: 10 – 15 cloves (finely chopped)

Green Chilly: 2 finely chopped

Dried Mango Powder: As per taste

Green Coriander: Finely chopped for garnishing

Preparation of Stuffing:

Add the finely chopped garlic, green chillies, green coriander to the roasted gram floor. Add salt and dried mango powder as per taste. Sprinkle a few drops of water and mix it as a loosely bound stuffing.

Preparation of Baati:

Knead the wheat floor into a semi hard loaf, adding small amount of water. Divide this in 12 balls. Make each ball into a cup shape pressing at the center of the ball with your thumb. Fill 2 to 3 spoons of the sattu stuffing in this and close the ball tightly. Prepare all the twelve balls like this.

Roasting of Batti in Cow-dung cake:

Cow- dung cakes are very common fuel in this part of country. 5 to 6 cakes are sorted and arranged to form like a pyramid, with one or two pieces forming the base. It is then ignited. Once the whole pyramid is in flame leave it for a  3-4 minutes. The flames would recede and the cakes would now appear red. Turn the cakes that form the peak of the pyramid with a tong and place the Baati balls on the red hot base of the pyramid. Put the cakes that were removed on these balls again. Let it roast for a few mins.( 4-5). Once it starts appearing pink again remove the cakes from the top, and turn the ball with tongs to have all the parts roasted equally. It would appear light brown. Remove it from the fire and rub all of them with a clean cloth to remove the burnt portion of the balls and the ashes. Your Baati is ready to be served. Serve it after dipping it thoroughly in Pure Ghee with Chokha.

(Alternatively it can be roasted in a OTG)

Chokha:

Ingredients:

Brinjal : Two round brinjals

Potato :  Three (boiled and peeled)

Tomato: Three red

Green Chillies: One

Coriander leaves : finely chopped for garnishing.

Garlic Cloves: 10 – 12 cloves.

Preparation:

Roast the Brinjal and tomato on direct flame till it is fully cooked on a gas stove. (it can also be cooked on the cow dung cake fire already prepared for baati). Remove the burnt cover of the roasted vegetables. Let it cool down a little. After that crush the brinjal, tomato and potatoes together into a fine mix. Add chopped chillies and garlic cloves and salt as per taste. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and Coriander chatni.

Green Coriander chatni :

Make a fine paste of coriander leaves (50gms) with a pinch of salt, one or two pieces of green chilly and lemon juice.

Serve hot : Two peices of Baati dipped in Desi Ghee, along with Chokha and chatni.

 RELISH