Roma's Space

Chole Tikki Chaat

A Tikki is nothing but a flattened cutlet made out of alu. Its to be eaten with Chole masala, Pudina and Tamarind chutney. In the picture you can see the set of suggested garnishes that go with Chole Tikki.

The overall time and effort to make this dish is actually quite high. Also, unlike other chaats its very heavy, so one day you can make this dish and give dinner a miss.

Ingredients :

For the tikki

• 3 potatoes
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 teaspoon Jeera powder
• finely chopped green chillies
• finely chopped coriander leaves
• A small piece of ginger

For the Garnish

• Chole Masala
• Pudina chutney
• Tamarind chutney
• Curd (optional)
• Finely chopped onions
• Finely chopped coriander leaves
• Om podi or Fine Sev

Procedure :

For the tikki

1. Boil potatoes and peas. Mash and let them cool.
2. Add jeera powder, salt, grated ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves and mix well.
3. Make small flat cakes with wet hands and shallow fry on a hot tawa.

Serving

1. Place alu tikki on the serving plate. Add 2 tablespoons of chole masala on it.
2. Now garnish with curds (optional), pudina chutney, tamarind chutney, finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and finally sev mixture.

Please NOTE :

1. Salt in the tikki should be added carefully as chutneys and Chole masala already contain salt. The alu tikki usually contains a lot of masalas. However, in this dish we are coupling it with chole masala which is already full of spices, so we keep the tikki simple.
2. The order of garnishing needs to be followed correctly. For instance, if we put the curds or chutney on top of the sev, the sev can become soggy.

Paani Puri

With every single paani puri you can experience an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Freshly made minty water is something people like to drink like a mocktail. Its not only tasty but also helps in overall digestion just like jal jeera.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Pudina leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon Black salt
• 1/2 teaspoon White salt
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon roasted jeera powder
• 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 10 puris
• 1 aloo
• Handful chole (or whole green moong dal)

Procedure :

For the masala

1. Boil potatoes and cut into tiny cubes.
2. Soak channa (or moong dal) overnight. Boil them till they are soft.
3. Dry roast jeera seeds. Once brown, grind in a mortar pestle.
4. Mix channa and potatoes with some roasted jeera powder, salt and chaat masala (optional)

For the paani

1. Soak tamarind in some water and let it swell.
2. Wash pudina leaves well and puree it in a mixie jar.
3. Once puree is ready, strain it and add roasted jeera powder, black salt, white salt, red chilly powder, sugar and tamarind water.
4. Now add some plain water and taste the mix. You might need to add more salt or chilly depending on the final taste.

Serving :

1. Make a hole on the face of the puri. Fill it with the aloo masala made earlier and serve with Pudina Chutney, Tamarind chutney and paani.
2. When you are ready to eat, take the puri add both chutneys in desired quantities and dip it in the paani.

Moong Dal Chaat

The moong dal cooked by the method described below is usually used in filling pani puris. We enjoy this chaat at least once a week for breakfast.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups of whole green moong dal
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 green chillie
• 1 onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Chaat masala
• Few curry leaves

Procedure :

1. Soak 1 cup of moong dal overnight.
2. Once soaked, microwave it in water for about 20 mins. If you dont have a microwave you can boil the dal in a vessel till its tender.
3. Strain water out of the dal and set aside.
4. Heat oil, add cumin seeds, slit green chilly, onions and curry leaves.
5. Add moong dal to this tempering. Add jeera powder, chaat masala and salt. Saute well.
6. Garnish with finely cut onions and coriander leaves.
7. Serve moong dal with curds and sweet ‘n sour tamarind chutney.

Please NOTE :

1. Care needs to be taken not to soak moong dal for too long as it may sprout.
2. Do not try to pressure cook the dal as it gets mashed up and then doesnt taste like chaat anymore.