Aloo Chaat (Potato Chaat)
Aloo chaat is a popular North Indian street food snack made by frying potatoes till crispy then topping them with spices, tamarind chutney, yoghurt, onions and coriander (cilantro).
What is chaat?
Chaat is a popular street food snack from the Indian subcontinent. The name comes from the Hindi / Urdu word 'chaatna' meaning 'to lick one's fingers'.
It is typically served from roadside stalls (known as 'thelay') or food carts across the region and is usually eaten as a snack.
There are many different types of chaat, some of the popular ones are papdi chaat, samosa chaat, sev puri, bhel puri, pani puri (also known as gol gappa) and aloo chaat.
The base of every type of chaat is usually something crunchy, such as potatoes, chickpeas, or soft lentil dumplings, which is topped off with vegetables (like tomato and onion).
To this base, layers of sweet, tangy and spicy flavors are added in the form of spices, chutneys, crisps (chips), and herbs.
The variety of ingredients used in chaat means that every region, roadside stall vendor, and even household has its own unique way of making chaat depending on their personal preferences, and the ingredients available to them.
What is aloo chaat?
The word 'aloo' means 'potato' in Hindi.
Originating from the city of Delhi in Northern India, aloo chaat is a type of chaat that is made by frying potatoes, and then tossing the fried potatoes in a mix of spices and lemon juice.
The potatoes are then topped with tamarind chutney, yoghurt, and onions.
How to make aloo chaat
Potatoes: The key ingredient in aloo chaat are the potatoes. Potatoes are diced and boiled until soft.
They are then fried till crispy and golden brown on the outside.
Traditionally, the potatoes are deep-fried, however, I prefer to shallow fry to reduce the amount of oil. You can also air fry or bake the potatoes.
Spices: The next key ingredient in aloo chaat are the spices.
Most important is chaat masala, an Indian spice mix that has a salty, spicy, and tangy flavor. Chaat masala is most often sprinkled as a garnish on chaats, on raw fruit, and in drinks such as lemonade.
Another spice that is used in aloo chaat is amchur or dry mango powder. It is made by drying pieces of raw mango (kairi) and pulsing them into powder. It has a unique tart and slightly sour flavor.
All these spices are available at the Indian grocery store or specialized grocery store.
Lemon Juice: For best flavor, use fresh lemon juice.
Tamarind Chutney: This is a sweet and tangy chutney made from tamarind paste and is easily available at Indian or specialty grocery stores.
It is used to make different types of chaat and is also served as a condiment with fried snacks such as samosas and pakoras.
If you do want to try making it yourself, you can find a recipe here.
Yoghurt: To balance out the spiciness, sweetened yoghurt is added on top of the chaat. If you find the chaat too spicy, increase the amount of yoghurt.
Garnishes: I have kept this recipe simple, and garnished the chaat with onion, coriander leaves (cilantro) and green chilies.
Other options include sev, pomegranate arils and mini paapri.
Variations on aloo chaat
The best part about chaat is how versatile it is! You can increase the quantity based on your personal preferences, and the ingredients available to you.
Add boiled chickpeas to make aloo chana chaat.
Top the chaat with pomegranate arils for a sweet and tangy crunch.
Instead of potatoes, it's possible to use sweet potatoes in this recipe to make a sweet potato chaat. (Make sure to boil the sweet potatoes before frying.)
The chaat can be topped off with sev, and papri. Both of which are crispy and crunchy Indian snacks.
Top the chaat with a different chutney, such as coriander mint chutney.
If you want to reduce the spice level, you can substitute the red chili powder with paprika or Kashmiri lal mirch (Kashmiri chili powder).
Aloo Chaat (Potato Chaat)
Aloo chaat is a popular North Indian street food snack made by frying potatoes till crispy then topping them with spices, tamarind chutney, yoghurt, onions and coriander (cilantro).
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 400 grams / 3 medium potatoes
- 2 – 4 tablespoons oil, for frying
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon mango powder (amchur powder)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (cilantro), plus more for garnish
- 1 green chilies, sliced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tamarind chutney
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
Instructions
- Mix the yoghurt and sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. They must be just cooked (al dente) without being mushy. Remove from the water and cool completely.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes, and fry till light golden and crispy on the outside.
- Place the spices (chaat masala, red chili powder, mango powder, and salt) in a medium bowl. Add the hot potatoes to the bowl and toss together.
- Add coriander leaves, green chili, and lemon juice. Mix through again.
- Place a layer of fried potatoes in a serving bowl. Drizzle with half the sweetened yoghurt, the chopped onions, and the tamarind chutney. Top this with the remaining fried potatoes, and then drizzle with the remaining yoghurt, and tamarind chutney. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Notes
This recipe is on the spicy side. If you want to reduce the spice you can do the following:
- Use paprika instead of red chili powder
- Use half the quantity of the spice mix (chaat masala)
- Increase the amount of yoghurt used
- Skip the green chilies
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
¼ of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 291
Kiran is originally from Pakistan, and is a food blogger and recipe developer. One of the things that she loves doing is learning about different cuisines and learning how food has shaped culture and history around the world. You can find Kiran on her blog MirchiTales.com as well as on Instagram.
