Indian children love the Khomcha-Wallah. He wanders the streets,
the busier the better, basket of goodies on his head and a cane
stool under his arm. When he encounters a likely crowd he sets
down his basket on the stool and starts to trade. The basket
will contain the half-prepared ingredients of what is known in
northern India as chaat - savoury snacks from traditional Hindu
cuisine - which may be served in a banana leaf bowl.
One item might be Aloo Chaat which is fried, golden-brown potato
cubes tossed with chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and chaat
masala**.
Another, Dhai Baras which are split-pea patties. They will be
already fried and softened in warm water. To complete the dish
the Khomcha-Wallah may add beaten, creamy plain yoghurt with
salt on top, and a choice of spice mixes. One mixture will be
aromatic and probably contain roasted cumin, black pepper and
dried mango powder, another will be hot a fiery with chillies,
another sweet and sour like tamarind chutney.
Some Indian cities have become renowned for a certain sort of
chaat - Jaipur for Paapri Chaat (similar to Dhai Baras but
served with cubed potatoes chick peas) and Mumbai for Pau Bahji
(spicy potato and vegetable curry served in a bun) but it is
Delhi which is the chaat capital of India.
Some other chaats are:
Aloo Samosa - little pastry triangles filled with a spicy
mixture of small diced potatoes and peas with chillies, chilli
powder, fresh coriander, cumin and garam masala.
Keema Samosa - similar to above but including minced beef or
lamb.
Aloo Tikki - mashed potato mixed with peas, cumin powder, corn
flour, chilli powder and salt, formed into patties and fried
until crisp and golden.
Tandoori Chicken Chaat - Tandoori chicken, shredded and mixed
with diced green mango, onions, green chillies, coriander leaves
and chaat masala**, dressed with lemon juice, oil and chilli
powder.
**Chaat Masala is a spice mix made by combining the following
ingredients.
4 tsp powdered dried mango
3 tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
3 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp fennel seeds, roasted and ground (optional)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
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Liz Canham is the webmistress of
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