Chaat

Aloo Chaat (Indian Street-Style)

A classic Delhi-style street chaat layering crisp fried dough, spiced potatoes and chickpeas, cool yoghurt, and the sweet-sour duo of tamarind and mint chutney, all topped with crunchy sev.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz) potatoes, 2 medium waxy potatoes, boiled and cubed
• •200 g (7 oz) cooked chickpeas, canned, rinsed and drained
• •150 g (5¼ oz) papdi
• •200 g (7 oz) plain yoghurt, whisked until smooth
• •60 ml (¼ cup) tamarind chutney, store-bought or homemade (tamarind pulp, jaggery, roasted cumin, salt)
• •60 ml (¼ cup) mint-coriander chutney, fresh mint, coriander, green chilli, salt, a splash of water blended smooth
• •60 g (2 oz) sev, fine nylon sev is traditional
• •1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• •1 tsp chaat masala
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) Kashmiri red chilli powder, for colour and mild heat
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) black salt (kala namak), optional but characteristic
• •2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• •1 whole onion, small, finely chopped
• •1 whole green chilli, finely chopped, optional
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Steps

1. 1 Boil the potatoes in salted water until a skewer slides in with no resistance (internal temperature above 95 °C / 200 °F at the centre), about 12–15 minutes depending on size. Cool, peel, and cut into 2 cm cubes.
2. 2 In a small bowl, whisk the yoghurt with a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable; it should coat the back of a spoon but still drip slowly.
3. 3 In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm potato cubes and chickpeas. Sprinkle with roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, chilli powder, and black salt if using. Toss gently so the edges of the potatoes stay intact.
4. 4 On a serving plate, scatter the papdi in a single layer. Spoon the spiced potato-chickpea mixture evenly over them.
5. 5 Drizzle the yoghurt over the mixture, then zigzag the tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney across the top.
6. 6 Scatter the chopped onion, green chilli (if using), and fresh coriander over the chaat.
7. 7 Just before serving (so it stays crisp), shower the sev generously across the surface.
8. 8 Finish with a final pinch of chaat masala and serve immediately with a lemon wedge for squeezing over. Eat within 5 minutes of assembly so the papdi keeps its snap.