KHATARNAAK CHAAT !!

Hahahahahahahaha!!! What a title! It's just that we made AluTiki and Chana-Chaat and on tasting it M exclaimed "Kya KHATARNAAK banaya hai re apan ne yeh chaat!!"

Thanks to Trupti and her brilliant idea of having an event involving Friends and Family in the kitchen, I snagged the chance of getting M in the kitchen to help out. It's not that he does not want to help, but his work pressure is so high, that when he comes home tired... one look at his tired, haggard face sets me bustling like a mother hen, off to make a hot cuppa.

However, occasionally when he does wander into my domain, he lends a helping hand, which happened today! And I took the opportunity of taking some pictures (since the camera is always at hand in the kitchen !)

We decided that the evening should be dedicated to lolling in the bed, watching movies and not doing anything else... for this plan to succeed we had to prepare ..

One dish .. that's it.. one item which would satisfy the hunger pangs and satisfy the taste buds.. hmmmm, what do I make then? Chaat!! can there be another choice!! I ask You!!

Action plan for the remainder of the day:

Step into the library : GRAB all the available Sherlock Holmes series and also GRAB the Jeeves and Wooster series

Dash to the stores to pick up any items as needed. Dash home...Don the apron and cook!

Item by unanimous choice : Aloo Tikki with Chana (choley)

M's first concern... will this take the entire day? (this is when I saw my chance..) Not if you wanna pitch in... , M is all set...

So while I do the potatoes, he speedily tidies around the house (bless him even for shoving things into corners ! I love him for doing that!!) and joins me in my *tiny* kitchen

We collect all the items we need ( M needs to *see* everything before him, to get creative)

For the Tikkis , I used my old recipe without the sweet chutney filling. On the broad lines, this is how we made it...

Potatoes

Green chillies

Cumin seeds

Ginger- Garlic paste

Cilantro

Salt to taste

Amchur powder/ Lemon juice

Oil

Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.

Grind together the cumin , ginger garlic, chillies

Add the paste to the potatoes

Add salt, amchur / lemon juice and chopped cilantro

Mix all the above and make patties

(if the above mix seems a bit soggy, add a slice of bread in it and knead it into a dough)

Heat a skillet, place the patties on it and drizzle oil on the sides and cook to a lovely, crispy golden brown .. as M demonstrates!!

The real stuff

For the choley

1 Can of Garbanzo Beans or 1/4 kg. Chick peas soaked overnight

2 onions

1 Tomato
2 inch piece Ginger (chopped into thin straws)

1 tsp. Red chilly pwd (+/- to your taste)
3/4 tsp. Garam Masala

1 med.Potato

1-2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Cilantro

1 Bayleaf

If using dry chick peas, soak the chick peas in water overnight.Drain water, rinse. In a pan , bring water to a boil, add 1 tsp. tea powder/ leaves and make a decoction. Strain, use this water to cook the chick peas in. This will give the chick peas a dark color. Add salt to the water and chick peas and the potato

If using a can of garbanzo beans, cook potato seperately

Slice the ginger into thin straws

Make Onion Paste

Make Tomato Paste/ puree
In a wok/ saucepan, heat oil, add Bayleaf

Add the ginger straws, onion paste and cook till the onion is a nice brown

Add the Tomato puree, red chilly powder

Add the Garam Masala.

Remove and set aside the water from the cooked chick peas. Add the chick peas and mix well

Add mashed potato

Now pour in the water that was reserved (in which the chick peas were cooked) with a pinch of turmeric and salt

To give the choley a tangy taste, add 1/2 tsp of Tamarind Paste

Chutneys

Green chutney

Grind :

1 bunch cilantro

4-5 Serrano green chillies (+/-)

1 tsp Cumin seeds

approx 1 inch Ginger

4 cloves Garlic

Salt

Juice of 1 Lemon

Sweet chutney

5-6 Dates (seedless)

2 tbsp. tamarind conc.

1 marble size lump of Jaggery

1/8th. tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Red chilly powder

Pressure cook or add water and microwave dates till soft

Crush the dates to a paste

Add the remaining ingredients , mix well, add some water and bring it to a boil. Cool and use

Trupti, don't turst the snap..M is just showing off... multi-tasking and doing it all-by-himself..as he calls it

Step 1: Place Patties in the bowl

Step 2: Pour choley on the patties

Step 3: Green chutney on the choley

Step 4 : Sweet chutney

Step 5: Garnish with chopped cilantro and finely chopped onion

Step 6: make 2 extra bowls of chaat.... sit comfortably, get hubby to start the movie and dig into the chaat while enjoying the mystifying adventures of Sherlock Holmes (or any other .. your choice).

Take a small break, grab the next helping, now switch from adventure to the sublime comedy of Jeeves and Wooster recreated by BBC ! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! What more can one ask? Wonderful movies, AWESOME food and extra helpings of both!! Life does not get better than this!!

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