Make Aloo Chat

Aloo chat is popular Indian vegetarian dish made with spiced potatoes. It is sold at roadside stalls in northern India, so is considered a type of Indian “fast food.” It’s a flavorful dish, topped with numerous spices and a medley of chutneys. If you’re craving some comfort food that is easy to make and bursting with flavor, this recipe is for you.

Ingredients

• 1.25 cups (290 grams) boiled and peeled baby potatoes, chopped into chunks
• 3 tablespoons (44.37 mL) oil
• 1 teaspoon (4.93 mL) chili powder
• 2 tablespoons (29.57 mL) coriander-cumin seeds powder
• 0.25 teaspoons (1.23 mL) turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons (9.86 mL) dried mango powder
• 2 teaspoons (9.86 mL) besan
• Salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons (59.16 mL) coriander, finely chopped
• 0.5 cup (118.3 mL) whisked fresh curds
• 2 teaspoons (9.86 mL) garlic chutney
• 4 teaspoons (19.72 mL) green chutney
• 2 tablespoons (29.57 mL) sweet chutney
• 2 pinches cumin seeds powder
• 2 pinches chili powder
• 4 teaspoons masala chana dal
• Sev for garnishing

Steps

Marinating Your Potatoes

1. Boil, peel, and chop your baby potatoes. This recipe makes enough for two plates. Use a vegetable peeler to remove all of the skin from the baby potatoes. After they are peeled, chop them all into halves. These halves are a great size for aloo chat. Place the halves into a large pot, and cover them with about an inch of water.
   • Turn your stovetop to high heat and bring the water to a boil. Boil your potatoes for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are soft.
   • Be careful not to overcook the potatoes, or they will fall apart.
2. Combine oil and dry seasonings into a bowl. First, pour two tablespoons (29.57 mL) of the oil into a mixing bowl. Then, add the chili powder, coriander-cumin seeds powder, turmeric powder, dry mango powder, besan, salt, and two tablespoons of the chopped coriander. Mix this together thoroughly.
3. Add the potatoes to the mixing bowl. Mix the potatoes and spice mixture together until the potatoes are fully coated. Let them sit, or marinate, for five to ten minutes.

Cooking Your Potatoes

1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Pour the remaining tablespoon (14.79 mL) of oil into the pan, and turn the stove to medium. Allow the oil to heat. This won’t take too long, because it is a small amount of oil. Once it becomes runny and coats the pan, it is heated.
2. Pour your marinated potatoes into your pan. Stir them in the pan so that they mix with the hot oil. Cook the potatoes on medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly while they cook.
3. Remove the potatoes from the heat. As the potatoes cook, the seasonings (or the masala) will stick much better to the outside. After three to four minutes, they will be done. Turn off the heat. After three to four minutes

Making the Chat

1. Put your cooked potatoes into serving dishes. This recipe makes enough for two people, so split everything equally down the middle. Aloo chat can be served on a plate or in shallow bowls.
2. Top your potatoes with the whisked curds. Dahi, the Indian word for whisked curds, is essentially a thick, plain yogurt sauce. You can purchase dahi at specialty grocery stores, or you can make your own. It’s best to use fresh curds for your aloo chat. Using a spoon, drizzle the curds over the potatoes.
   • To learn how to make your own dahi, follow the instructions Make-Dahi.
3. Add your chutneys to the dish. Drizzle the garlic chutney, green chutney, and sweet chutney over your potatoes, just like you did with the whisked curds, or dahi. It will end up looking like an abstract painting, and that’s what you want. You can add the chutneys in the ratio provided, or you can decide your own ratio based on which chutneys you like most.
4. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over your dish. Dust the potatoes and sauces the cumin seeds powder, chili powder, and masala chana dal. You can find these ingredients at a grocery store. The masala chana dal is also called split bengal gram, which are lentils.
5. Top with your garnishes. Put sev on top of your dish for a delicious crunch. Sev is a crispy, chickpea noodle. Finally, sprinkle with the rest of your finely chopped coriander. Serve your aloo chat while it’s warm!

Tips

• Be creative with your chutneys! Mango and tamarind are the most common ones, but there are so many more flavours to explore; mint, cucumber, aubergine and orange are all delicious with this dish.
• This dish is very quick and easy, so it's perfect for a rushed night
• If you like, serve with Indian flat bread (chapati or naan) or plain white rice on the side.
• You can use anything to garnish your aloo chat; try diced bell peppers, mint leaves, pomegranate seeds or even shredded coconut.

Warnings

• This can be a very spicy dish; omit the chili powder if you don't like things hot.

Things You'll Need

• Cutting board
• Kitchen knife
• Pot
• Mixing bowl
• Pan or skillet
• Spoon
• Serving bowls

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Indian Potato Curry With Green Chilli Base
• Make Paneer Makhani (Indian Cottage Cheese and Butter Based Dish)
• Make Palak Paneer
• Make Bhel Puri
• Make Cabbage Curry in Andhra Style
• Make Khichadi with Rice and Moong Dal
• Make Simple Peas Pulao
• Make Besan Ladoo
• Make Vegetable Biryani
• Make Adai

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