Aloo chaat, a street food that originated in India, is a great handheld snack that many people from the region love. Also known as potato chaat, it’s commonly known as a street food, though can be served as a light meal, side dish or just a snack.
Like many quick and easy foods from the Indian subcontinent, aloo chaat is basically potatoes that are mixed with various spices, friend and then served with some sort of chutney.
It’s a dish that has deep roots in Indian cuisine and makes for an easy and delicious snack for kids.
Ingredients List
While there are a variety of different ways that you can make aloo chaat, almost all recipes have many similar ingredients.
To make this great snack food, you’ll need potatoes (of course), ginger and/or garlic, green chili, cumin powder, salt, chaat masala powder, red chili powder, coriander leaves, lemon juice and pomegranate arils.
One chutney you can make to dip the aloo chaat in is a green chutney. To make this, you’ll need coriander leaves, mint leaves, garlic, ginger, fried gram, salt and water.
Preparation of Potatoes
To prepare your potatoes for frying, you first should wash and peel the skins off them. Next, cut the potatoes into one-inch pieces, dropping them into a bowl of water until you’re ready to use them.
This step prevents the potatoes from turning brown, which is what happens when the flesh of the vegetable comes into contact with air.
When you’re cutting your potatoes, do your best to do so in as uniform of pieces as possible. This will ensure that they are all cooked evenly, rather than some pieces being overdone and others not being done enough.
Cooking Methods
The traditional way of cooking aloo chaat is deep frying them. That being said, there are alternative methods that could also work if you want to try something different.
Method 1: Air Frying
One way to cook a healthier version of aloo chaat is to air fry them instead of deep frying. By following this method, you can still achieve very crispy potatoes while reducing the amount of calories and fat that you are consuming.
To do this, you can use the French fries auto option (if your air fryer has that). If it doesn’t, then set your air fryer for 180 degrees C or 360 degrees F and preheat for five minutes.
Spread out the potatoes evenly in the basket, spraying oil on top of them. Fry them in the air fryer for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are crispy and golden brown. To ensure even cooking, it’s a good idea to toss the potatoes about halfway through the cooking time.
Method 2: Deep Frying
If you prefer the traditional approach of deep frying your aloo chaat, that’s OK, too.
Before you do, parboil the potatoes for a few minutes. This means you’ll cook them partially in boiling water. Doing so will ensure that they cook fully in the oil and not just crisp.
Next, heat about a half cup of oil in a deep enough pan. Once the oil is up to temperature, drop the potatoes into the pan until they’re crispy and cooked all the way through.
It’s important not to crowd the pan, otherwise they could stick together and steam rather than fry. This would result in your aloo chaat being mushy rather than crispy and delicious.
Spicing the Potatoes
Aloo chaat isn’t just plain old fried potatoes. It’s a beautifully spiced dish that integrates many different flavors to enhance the overall experience.
Once the potatoes are fried, you want to add chaat masala powder and a very little bit of salt. Add red chili powder and cumin powder if you want to add some heat to the dish. Mix this all together and then add the potatoes to a bowl.
Next, you’ll add lemon juice to brighten up the dish and enhance it ever so slightly. This is all made even better with the addition of tamarind chutney or green chutney to dip.
Assembling Aloo Chaat
Once the aloo chaat is cooked, you want to serve it in a certain way. Place the cooked and spiced potatoes on a dish. Top with coriander leaves, pomegranate seeds, nylon sev or whatever else you want — roasted cashews or sweet raisins are a good option.
On a side dish next to the plate, you will place your chutney of choice for dipping. By serving this way, you will be accomplishing a few things.
First, you will be creating a sensory experience. There will be many different smells and colors that people will sense before they even taste your dish.
Second, you’ll be layering flavors. The different spices that are cooked with the potatoes, plus the added garnishes on top coupled with the chutney for dipping presents a very complex a delicious combination.
Finally, it provides people with the ability to customize the food to their liking. If they want to dip it in chutney, they can. If they want to eat the garnishes, they can.
Or, if they want to eat the potatoes by themselves, they can do that, too.
Additional Chaat Recipes
There are many different ways that you can prepare aloo chaat, as mentioned above. Or, you could prepare multiple versions at once for a full chaat menu.
Easy adjustments to the recipe include different spices and garnishes, as well as different chutneys for dipping. You can also play around with the different cooking methods to present those you serve this to with a different experience.
Serving Suggestions
While aloo chaat is traditionally a street food, it’s a great and easy snack for kids. By adding the garnishes and pairing suggestions above, you can make eating this snack not only delicious but a lot of fun.
