Chaat is an Indian street food. It literally means to lick – meaning the dish is so good that you will be left licking your fingers. There are umpteen varieties of chaat, and an upcoming cookbook by the Food Network judge Maneet Chauhan is dedicated to this genre. In my case, it was the solitary sweet potato staring at me that led me to create this easy chaat that was gobsmacking, lip smacking good. Here’s how I made it.
Ingredients:
- 1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into small cubes and washed
- 2 tsp cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)
- 1 tsp chaat masala (available at Indian stores, but you can use curry powder in a pinch)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small tomato, finely chopped
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- 1/4 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tsp tamarind chutney (available at Indian stores, but you can add pomegranate or date molasses)
- 1 tbsps sev (chick pea sticks – available at Indian stores, but you can use a few potato chips crushed for crunch)
- Slice of lemon (adds visual interest/additional tartness if needed)
How to:
1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and fry till the sweet potatoes are fried nicely and turn dark. Keep tossing frequently to prevent it from burning. This took about ten minutes on a medium flame for me. Turn off the stove.
2. Sprinkle the salt and chaat masala on the cooked sweet potatoes and toss.
3. Take a platter and scatter the sweet potatoes on it. Now drizzle the tamarind chutney on top. Layer the rest of the vegetables on top of the sweet potatoes. Finish with a flourish of sev on top and a lemon slice on the side.
4. Finish eating and of course do tell me if it was lip smacking good:)
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