Waffle chaat

 

Dahi aloo waffle chaat 

Chole aloo waffle chaat 

Chaat is an emotion that’s shared by Indians across the globe. It’s a hot favorite and any weather, reason or mood is good for this! Rarely have I seen anyone refusing to relish. There is so much variety and one can customize it to personal tastes. It’s mostly street food and a good way to enjoy the spices and various flavors. Savory, sweet, sour and spicy…it satiates every need of food cravings. Being overseas, it’s challenging at times to get good chaat. I also like my strong flavors and not depend on others for that perfect plate. This time I decided I need to work on making chaat healthy and also not spend too much time preparing it. Came up with this idea of using my waffle maker! i always try to make use of my gadgets and ingredients to their maximum. And boy….what a fabulous outcome. We all are together and could enjoy without making too much effort. It’s doable more often too. 

INGREDIENTS 

For tikki

3 large boiled potatoes 

1/4 cup Makki atta (wanted avoid cornflour) 

Salt 

Chili powder 

Dhaniya chopped 

1 green chili chopped 

1 tbsp oil 

Accompaniments 

2 bowls of cooked chole

Whipped yoghurt 

Imli chutney 

Green chutney 

Boondi, papdi and sev 

Bhuna jeera powder 

Chili powder 

Chaat masala 

Chopped onions soaked with salt and lemon 

Chopped dhaniya 

Method  

1. Crush the potatoes roughly with skin. Make sure the potatoes are not pasty. But floury in texture. Don’t make a paste. Add ingredients listed and make into rough patty. 

2. Heat waffle iron. Apply oil or butter and pot the tikki on it. Close the waffle maker and let them cook. 

3. Whip dahi and add 1/2 tsp sugar, salt and jeera powder.   Chill until needed. 

4. Once done until crisp, take them out and put them on the plate.

5. Pour hot chole on top, pour couple of tbsp of dahi, imli  chutney, green chutney, onions, boondi, sev and put one papdi. 

6. Sprinkle bhuna jeera, chili powder and chaat masala. Sprinkle fresh coriander and serve immediately. 

7. For dahi tikki, skip chole and just follow the same procedure. You can also sprinkle few boiled chole to add bite. 

8. Enjoy with family and friends without spending too much time in preparing. A tip... keep some left over chole for this short cut and delicious dinner.  

Mix vegetable kootu

I relished this amazing dish once made by a friend and food blogger. She made cabbage and chana dal version. I decided to try another combination which had lots of vegetables and it turned out amazing. I made a few changes but it satisfied the taste buds and was extremely comforting with its soft and smooth tastes. This comes from South of India. 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup yellow mung dal 

2 tbsp red masoor 

1 cubbed potato

1 cubbed carrot 

1 cup chopped cauliflower 

1/2 cup chopped spinach 

1/2 cup beans chopped 1” pieces 

1 bay leaf 

Salt 

1 tsp haldi 

1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional) 

Ingredients for paste 

1/2 cup coconut shreds(I used dry) 

1” ginger piece 

2-3 garlic 

1-2 green chili 

1 tsp cumin

Ingredients for tadka 

2 tbsp ghee/oil

1 tsp mustard seeds 

Pinch of hing 

2 tbsp urad & chana dal 

2 tbsp curry leaves 

1 red chili 

Chopped coriander for topping 

METHOD

1. Wash and soak dals. Add all the vegetables, salt and haldi and pressure cook until soft. You can choose other vegetables. 

2. Grind ingredients for paste with a little water. 

3. Mix the paste in the vegetable and adjust consistency. Add tamarind paste if want at this point. 

4. Heat ghee or oil. Add hing and mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add chana dal, red chili and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds. Add chili powder if you like. Pour on top of the curry. Top with chopped coriander. Serve hot with rice or even dosa. 

EXTRAS- Make this with Chana dal and cabbage. Use vegetables of choice. It’s a very soft and smooth dish. It’s very flexible. Add tomatoes if you like. You can add little tamarind paste if like a bit if sourness. 

Green apple khatta meetha achar

 

Green apple has a distinctive sweet sour tangy taste. It’s great in salads and baked dishes. I like to use it as a good replacement for raw mangoes. I have made many dishes with them including pickles, parathas, chutney and most popular being muthias. This time I wanted to try using them in mango khatta meetha achaar which my mom makes. Since we were running out of it, I thought I can try making with green apples. These apples are quick in cooking and can get mushy fast. So I had to work cleverly with them. The result was amazing. We relished the pickle with palak paratha and mathris! Family was thrilled. We found a good substitute. 

INGREDIENTS

2 green apples cut into pieces 

2 tbsp raisins 

1/2 tsp crushed pepper and cloves 

1/2 cup sugar or jaggery 

1 tsp chili powder 

1/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric 

1 bay leaf 

1/5 tsp cinnamon powder 

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds 

Salt 

2 tbsp oil 

Pinch of hung 

1 tsp vinegar

METHOD

1. Sun dry the apple pieces for few hours. On touch the pieces should not feel moist. 

2. Heat oil, add hing, cumin, bay leaf, clove mix and sauté for few seconds, 

3. Add all the spices and sauté for 5 seconds. 

4. Pour about 1/4 cup water and the sugar. Mix well and cook on high heat. Let it start to thicken and become a little sticky. 

5. Add the apple pieces and raisins. Mix well and see that the fluid inside coats the apples. It should not be watery. If it’s watery, cook on high heat to caramelize.  

6. Add vinegar and mix well. Put into sterilized bottles and store. Serve it with parathas, theplas and mathris. 

PS: add methi seeds if you like a little taste of it. 

Dal Pachadi

INGREDIENTS 

5 tbsp white urad dal 

2 tbsp chana dal 

Few pepper corns 

3-4 tbsp coconut grated 

2 red chili 

1/2 tsp jeera 

Few curry leaves 

1/2 tsp chopped ginger 

1 tbsp oil 

Pinch of hing

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

1 cup whipped curd 

Salt 

1/4 tsp Chili powder 

METHOD

1. Heat a pan and add dals, peppercorns, 1 red chili, jeera and few curry leaves and sauté until golden brown. Cook and add coconut. You can use fresh or dry coconut as you like. Grind it into a powder  

2. Beat the yoghurt with salt and dilute as much as you like. 

3. Add the powder and mix well. Over time the curd will thicken up. Add yoghurt or water as you like. 

4. Heat oil, add hing, mustard, broken red chili, curry leaves and little urad dal. Sauté. 

5. Add ginger and sauté again. Put in chili powder and pour on top of the yoghurt mix. 

6. Adjust consistency and top with fresh coriander. 

7. Relish with rice, dosas or serve as an accompaniment with upma like I did. It’s highly flavorful and refreshing.