Name: Delhi Aloo Chaat
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 Potato, parboiled, cooled, peeled, and cut into large cubes; 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder, crucial for the chaat flavor; 1½ tsp Chaat Masala; ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ½ tsp Black Salt, kala namak; ½ tsp Dried Mango Powder, amchur; 2 tbsp Tamarind Chutney, sweet meethi chutney; 2 tbsp Green Chutney, spicy mint-coriander base; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; 1 tbsp Ginger, cut into thin juliennes; 4 tbsp Cooking Oil, for shallow frying

45 mintotal

30 min hands-on15 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Method

Elevate the oil temperature within a broad, heavy-bottomed skillet or professional flat tawa over a sustained medium thermal output.
Add the well-chilled parboiled potato cubes to the hot pan in a single layer. Do not touch them for the first part of the frying; the underside needs that time to form a deep golden crust.
Toss the potatoes carefully. Keep roasting until every side is deeply browned and crisp and the centres are cooked through.
Lift the crisp potatoes out with a slotted spoon and tip them straight into a large mixing bowl. Do not drain them on kitchen paper: the thin film of hot oil is what makes the dry spices stick.
Capitalize on the immediate thermal heat. Instantly barrage the potatoes with the roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chilli powder, black salt, and dry mango powder.
Toss quickly and firmly so the dry spices stick to the hot, oil-slicked edges of every cube.
Add the wet elements: the sweet tamarind chutney, the spiced green chutney and a sharp squeeze of lemon juice. Give it one last quick fold.
Conclude the architecture with a vibrant scatter of fresh coriander leaves and razor-thin ginger juliennes.
Service must be utterly immediate, presented authentically with wooden picks.

How to tell it's done

A robust, golden, crunchy shell giving way to a steaming, fluffy centre, against a thick, sweet, sharply tangy glaze.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Street-style aloo chaat only works if the potatoes are fried hard enough to go properly crisp outside. Add the wet chutneys at the last moment before eating, or the crunch is gone.

What to serve it with

The apex of Indian winter street cuisine. Must be consumed instantly alongside a heavily brewed, boiling cup of Masala Chai.

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Ingredients