Aloo tikki chaat
Photo: SWAROOP RAHUL · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Chaat, from a word meaning to lick or taste, is a family of snacks from north India. One account, from the culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal, ties chaat as an organised group of dishes to Delhi in the reign of Shah Jahan, when royal physicians told residents to eat spiced and fried snacks. In winter, Delhi's food writers also point to a bread tikki sold in Chawri Bazar.

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Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour or bread crumbs
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil or ghee for shallow frying
  • 200g cooked white chickpeas, warmed with a pinch of chaat masala
  • 200g plain yoghurt, whisked with a little sugar
  • Tamarind chutney and green chutney
  • Chaat masala, roasted cumin powder and red chilli powder
  • Chopped onion and fine sev to finish

Method

  1. Mix the potato with the cornflour, chilli, coriander and salt and shape into 8 flat patties.
  2. Shallow fry on a tawa or heavy pan over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp.
  3. Place two tikkis on each plate and press lightly to crack them open.
  4. Spoon over the chickpeas, then the yoghurt.
  5. Drizzle with both chutneys.
  6. Finish with chaat masala, cumin, chilli powder, onion and sev, and serve at once.

Tip from the editors. Fry the tikkis slowly on a flat pan; high heat colours them before the insides crisp.

Where to eat aloo tikki chaat

Aloo tikki chaat in Delhi

Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala ★ 4.5

$ Street foodOld Delhi

Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala tops soaked lentil dumplings with sweet and tangy chutneys on Chandni Chowk's main road in Old Delhi, running since the 1940s.

OrderA plate of dahi bhalla, then the aloo tikki with both chutneys.

TipThis corner shop sells only two things, dahi bhalla and aloo tikki; expect a crowd outside at most hours, and note it closes at 21:30.

Directions

Prabhu Chaat Bhandar ★ 3.9

$ Street foodKhan Market

Prabhu Chaat Bhandar sells aloo tikki, gol gappe and papdi chaat in the UPSC lane on Shahjahan Road, Delhi, a chaat stop known locally as UPSC ki chaat.

OrderAloo tikki chaat with pani puri on the side.

TipIt runs on a token system, so pay first; if the tikki is too hot, cool down with the pista kulfi topped with faluda.

Directions

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