Monsoon is the time when we mostly crave all things chatpata. And when the raindrops come drizzling down your window pane, there is nothing more appetising
than a tangy plate of chaat with some hot masala chai. While we have all grown up
gorging on the usual bhel if not sev puri — this monsoon, we list down a few chaats with a twist which you ought to try. Chef Rakesh Mirchandani and chef Nafees Quereshi put together a spectacular chaat platter.
Chana and romaine lettuce open wraps
Ingredients: 1 bunch roma lettuce n 1 cup chickpeas (boiled)
1 medium-sized potato (boiled and cubed)
2 tbsp oil n
1/4 cup besan
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 green chilli (minced)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp black pepper n
1 tsp cumin powder (roasted)
1 tsp dry mango powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp ginger (finely sliced)
Method: In a pan, heat oil and add besan. Stir-fry it until it turns golden brown. Add grated ginger and chilles to it and sauté well. Add chickpeas, salt, black
salt, pepper, cumin seed powder and dry mango powder and mix well. Remove from fire and add potatoes, garam masala and
lemon juice to it. To assemble the chaat, remove one sheet of roma lettuce and place a spoonful of chickpea mixture on it. Garnish with ginger slices and serve immediately.
Chatpata chicken tikka chaat on tortillas
Ingredients: 100gm boneless chicken (cut into chunks)
10gm ginger-garlic paste
50ml curd
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp cumin powder,
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
5ml mustard oil
1/2 tsp garam masala powder,
75gm tortilla chips
handful of coriander leaves n 15gm sev, n salt and
chaat masala as per taste
Method: Tie curd in a muslin cloth and hang it overnight so that it loses all the water.
Transfer the hung curd into a bowl and add ginger-garlic paste to it.
Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and red chilli powder to it, and mix well.
Add lemon juice and marinate the chicken in this mixture for an hour.
Skew it on satay or on tandoor sticks and cook them on a live gas flame, or in an oven, until slightly charred and cooked.
Chop the cooked chicken pieces into smaller dices and toss them with chaat masala and salt.
Cut tortilla chips into triangles and deep fry them until they turn crispy.
To assemble the chaat before serving, place the tortilla chips at the bottom of the plate and place the chicken on top.
Then, garnish with red and green chutney, sprinkle some sev and finely chopped coriander leaves.
Chatpata chicken tikka chaat on tortillas
Ingredients: 100gm boneless chicken (cut into chunks)
10gm ginger-garlic paste
50ml curd
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp cumin powder,
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
5ml mustard oil
1/2 tsp garam masala powder,
75gm tortilla chips
handful of coriander leaves n 15gm sev, n salt and
chaat masala as per taste
Method: Tie curd in a muslin cloth and hang it overnight so that it loses all the water.
Transfer the hung curd into a bowl and add ginger-garlic paste to it.
Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and red chilli powder to it, and mix well.
Add lemon juice and marinate the chicken in this mixture for an hour.
Skew it on satay or on tandoor sticks and cook them on a live gas flame, or in an oven, until slightly charred and cooked.
Chop the cooked chicken pieces into smaller dices and toss them with chaat masala and salt.
Cut tortilla chips into triangles and deep fry them until they turn crispy.
To assemble the chaat before serving, place the tortilla chips at the bottom of the plate and place the chicken on top.
Then, garnish with red and green chutney, sprinkle some sev and finely chopped coriander leaves.
Asian noodles pani puri
Ingredients: 8 puris
1 packet of noodles (boiled)
25gm cabbage
15gm red pepper (sliced)
15gm yellow pepper (sliced)
15gm onions (sliced)
15gm green pepper (sliced)
10gm carrot (sliced)
10gm spring onion (finely chopped)
5gm garlic
5gm fresh red chillies (chopped)
10ml soy sauce
10ml oyster sauce
2gm white pepper
75ml vegetable stock
20gm sambal paste
20ml oil
salt as per taste
Method: In a wok, heat oil and sauté garlic, red chillies, onions and coloured peppers.
Add cabbage and carrot and cook the mixture for a few more minutes more.
Then add soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper.
Lastly, add boiled noodles, mix and remove from the flame.
Once the mixture cools down, chop it roughly and keep aside.
Season the vegetable stock with sambal paste, salt and pepper, and mix well.
To serve, fill the puris with the noodle mixture and top it with vegetable stock.
Garnish with spring onions and serve.
Chana, pineapple and cheese chaat
Ingredients: 100 gm black chana (boiled)
20gm green chillies and garlic paste
1 slice of pineapple (diced)
8 cubes of cheese (chopped)
handful of coriander leaves
chopped onion to garnish
Method: In a bowl, toss black chana with the chilli and garlic paste.
Season with salt and pepper and add pineapple dices and cheese to it.
Garnish with coriander and chopped onions and serve immediately.
Cracked papad and basil-potato chaat
Ingredients:2 roasted papads n 2 potatoes (julienned),
30gm paste of basil leaves
2 cashew nuts (finely chopped)
salt and pepper as per taste
Method: In a wok, heat oil and fry the potatoes until brown and crispy.
Remove from fire and drain it on a kitchen towel.
Add cashew nuts to basil leaves and toss the potatoes in it.
Season it with salt and pepper, and keep aside.
Break roasted papads into large pieces and place a spoonful of tossed potatoes on it.
Serve immediately.