Theme: North Indian Starters Dish: Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat We are starting our last marathon for this year and my theme for this week is ‘North Indian Starters’. Starters/ Appetizers are not really my forte because most of Indian starters are deep fried and I try to stay away from deep frying. When I saw this theme, I knew this will give me a chance to research on North Indian starters that I can add to my repertoire. Valli hinted that we can made Chaats under this theme, so for the first day I have a very filling and delicious Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat. I think this can be served as a first course for a simple North Indian meal.
Recipe is from Tarla Dalal’s site. Delicious potato-pea patties are served with spicy and tangy chickpea gravy, then topped with crunchy sev and yummy mint & tamarind chutnies. This is a dish with lots of textures and flavors. A must try for all chaat lovers. The dish is a little time consuming, so preparing the chutnies and cooking chickpeas and potatoes before hand makes it less stressful on the day of making it.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat (Chickpea & Potato Pattie Chaat)For Aloo Tikkis:: Potatoes - medium, boiled, peeled and mashed, Green Peas, Nigella seeds, Cumin seeds, Green Chilies - finely chopped, Cilantro - finely chopped, Corn Starch, Salt, For Chole/ Spicy Chickpea sauce:: Chickpeas - cooked or 1 15oz., can, drained and rinsed, Onion - small, finely chopped, Green Chili - slit, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Red Chili powder - (add more to taste), Amchur powder, Garam Masala, Tomato Puree - (or use 1 ripe chopped tomato), Salt & Pepper, To Serve:: Sev - as needed, Date-Tamarind Chutney - as needed, Green Chutney, Whisked Yogurt - as needed, Red Onion - finely chopped, as needed, To make Chole: Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add the onions and cook for 2~3 minutes or until translucent. Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, amchur powder, garam masala and ½cup of water. Mix well and cook for 1~2 minutes.; Next add the tomato puree and cook for 2~3 minutes, stirring frequently.; Add the cooked chickpeas, salt and pepper; mix well and cook for 4~5 minutes, while lightly mashing the chickpeas with a potato masher. Set aside until ready to serve.; To make Aloo patties: Heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add nigella and cumin seeds, once the seeds start to splutter, add the green chilies and cook for a few minutes.; In a mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, green peas, cilantro, corn starch, salt and the tempering. Mix well and divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a round tikki and flatten it slightly.; Heat a little oil on a nonstick tawa and cook the tikkis until lightly browned on both sides, about 2~3 minutes per side.; To Serve: Place 2 tikkis in a serving bowl, top it with some chole, sev, green chutney and tamarind chutney. Serve immediately.; [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
