Cooking Her Own Harvest...

Alu Chaat (Spicy Potato Salad)

 My 7 year old was back from an outing to a vegetable farm! She was super excited and her most prized possession for the day was her precious bag full of fresh potatoes, other vegetables & cotton which she'd picked up / harvested herself! And she proclaimed that SHE & ONLY SHE would cook the potatoes and serve us!

And what would that be? Super confident after her debut as a masterchef just the week before with nothing less than SCRAMBLED EGGS, she proclaimed ALU CHAAT!!! I did a mental somersault in joy, thanking my lucky stars that she hadnt been too ambitious and opted for other lofty dishes!!!

So the potato harvester's recipe of Alu Chaat...

Ingredients for :

A) Potato Mash

8 medium-large sized potatoes

A bowl of Chhole - luckily it was readily available at home as when she announced her culinary plans for the day, the overnight soaked Kabuli Chana had been pressure cooked for our breakfast of Chana Masala!

very finely chopped onions - 1-2

rock salt

roasted jeera powder

chili flakes

Chaat masala

chopped green chilies (was not added today...for obvious reasons ;))

Chopped coriander

B) Tamarind chutney/water

2 tbsp of readymade tamarind paste or a 2" dia ball of tamarind soaked in water and made into a pulp

rock salt

roasted jeera powder

chili flakes

chaat masala

sugar - a little

a mug of water

Procedure :

1. Wash and pressure cook the potatoes after halving/quartering them. 2 whistles are enough. 

2. While the potatoes are being boiled, prepare the tamaring water (tetul jol/imli paani) by mixing all the ingredients under "B" with water.

3.Now coming back to the potatoes....Cool, dunk in cold water and peel the skin. Mash with hand or masher.

4. Mix the mashed potatoes with all ingredients (except chopped coriander) under "A".

5. Add the tamarind water / tetul jol to make a moist  spicy potato mash. Taste and adjust the other spices if required. 

6. Garnish with sev bhujia / crushed phuchka/paani puri's puri / cornflakes and then finally with chopped coriander leaves

The yummilicious ALU CHAAT was ready!! And what made it yummier was the fact that it was harvested and prepared (fully) by my little lady!

Alu Chaat with a Healthy Touch

The name Chaat makes me drool...literally!

Chats from roadside eateries are what we've grown up with. The sweaty, dirty fingers kneading the 'Alu', the water from suspicious sources, the unwashed shaalpata containers never dettered us from savouring the delights of Phuchkawalas / Chaatwalas dishing out mouthwatering phuchkas, churmurs and many more yummy treats to die for.

Time changes, so do we and so does our priorities. Today after a tired day's work, Chaat, though still tempting, does not make us jump and run out to the roadside vendor. And the squalor and lack of hygiene does make us squirm once in a while...though there are times, when we turn a blind eye and just let the taste take over ...

Today being a Sunday, lunch was late, as is usual. A warm Sunday afternoon rolled into evening while we watched a movie, chatted and were just being lazy. Wasnt in the mood to get dressed and go out anywhere....Moreover, AD was busy playing with her friends ...so no whining or demands for an outing came our way. That's when the mood for some Chaat time set in and Alu Chaat being the easiest and fastest, I dragged my lazy self into the kitchen and set to work.

A peep into the fridge and veggie basket brought out a bit of this and that and I smiled to myself... so healthy chat it will be and thus shall I redeem myself from commiting the sin of Gluttony!

So here goes my recipe for Alu Chaat with a touch of Health

Ingredients :
1. Boiled Potato - 4 medium sized
2. Moong Sprouts - 1/2 cup
3. Bengal gram sprouts - 1/2 cup
4. Tamarind pulp - 6 tbsp or add some more till the taste is right
5. Black salt - 3 tsp (or to taste)
6. Green chillies - finely chopped (depending on your tolerance for chillies)
7. Dry Red Chillies - roasted & powdered - 1/2 tsp
8. Roasted & ground Cumin powder
9. Chopped Coriander leaves
10.Cornflakes - 1/2 bowl
11.Sev/Alu Bhujia - 1/2 bowl

Procedure :
1. Mash the boiled potatoes or slice them finely. (I mashed them)
2. Add all ingredients from 1 - 8 (of Ingredients)
3. Mix well.
4. Garnish with Cornflakes, Alu/Sev Bhujia and Chopped Coriander Leaves....
5. Serve & Eat
6. ...Mmmmmm......Bliss....