Intro to Indian chaat and snacks?

March 25, 2008 1:29 PM

I need an beginner's introduction to Indian chaat and snack food.

We've just discovered an Indian "fast food" buffet here in St. Louis. We went once and the hostess helped us to make Delhi Chaat (she also called them Indian Nachos). We're hooked.

They also had puri and other items on the buffet to make other chaat combinations. Can anyone point me towards a beginner's guide to chaat and snacks?

All the ingredients are there on the buffet (including sauces, spices, etc.), I just need to know what the combinations are and how to assemble them.... can someone point me to a website or book that will guide us? Or can someone give us an intro to the most common combinations?

Also - are the combinations called chaat? Or are the crunchy, fried things chaat?

Thanks!

posted by kdern to food & drink (5 comments total)

Chicken Chaat. Good luck, but you will never recreate Indian restraunt/takeaway food in your own home, it's almost impossible.
posted by fire&wings at 2:06 PM on March 25, 2008

A New York Times article on chaat from 2005.
posted by subtle-t at 2:21 PM on March 25, 2008

The eGullet forums' India forum is a good place to look for chaat recipes. Searching through the forums I found threads on Bhel Puri and Pav Bhaji. There are recipes if you scroll down. Especially valuable are the inputs of Suvir Saran, , who was active on the forums at the time.
posted by peacheater at 2:24 PM on March 25, 2008

Btw, the combinations are called chaat.
posted by peacheater at 2:27 PM on March 25, 2008

Hey I like chaat.

Here's an email I once sent to a friend:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

yo so I made this list so now its easy:

basics:
1 papdi (flat round fried dough buy at the indian store)
2 sev (always added last; sprinkled as a garnish)
3 puri / murmura (for bhel)
4 puri (for Paanipuri)
5 chick peas / garbanzo beans
6 yogurt beaten
7 boondi
8 water

spice:
1 salt
2 red chilli powder
3 amchoor (this is powdered dried mango)
4 black salt (sulfurous and totally important)
5 cumin powdered
6 ginger powdered
7 asafoetida
8 curry leaves
9 chaat masala (this is all-powerful)
10 turmeric powdered
11 black pepper
12 red pepper
13 jaggery

yeah just get some s9

fruit:
1 chopped raw mango
2 pomegranate
3 grape (for the tourists)

veg:
1 onion chopped
2 tomato chopped
3 boiled potato diced
4 cucumber chopped
5 green chillies chopped
6 coriander leaves
7 mung sprouts
8 mint leaves
9 lemon
10 ginger dried chopped fine

chutney: get these from an indian store
1 tamarind
2 coriander + green chilli + salt + water + blend = green chutney

recipes:

chaat is discrete infinity. sometimes discreet infinity with enough s2.
i define chaat as (b1 or b3) + s9 + (f) + c + v1 v2 v5 v6 v8 v9 + (v3 v4 v7) + sprinkle b2

golgappa / paanipuri / gupchup / puchchka water killer recipe:
c1 c2 s1 s2 s4 s5 v5 v6 v8 v9 mix with b8 for the former and b6 for puchchka + ice cubes

experimental recipe 1: add jaggery shavings + vodka to this golgappa water.

potato salad: drizzle v3 with a little of this water and chill overnight.

bhel: b3 c1 c2 s9 + v1 v2 (v3 v4) v5 v6 (v7) + b2 v9 v6 + (f1 f2)

dahi puri aka 'sbdp' or 'sev batata dahi puri': ok recipe

papdi chaat: crush b1 on a plate add v1 v3 drizzle b6 sprinkle s9 b2 v6

experimental recipe 2: f2 + v9 + s9 + b6 + sprinkle b6


////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


Other Recommendations:

1 Chaat Paradise in Mountain View is good.

2 The Bengalis make Jhaal Muri; this is bhel with mustard oil and a combination of s; no c.

3 The Vietnamese of Hue have Bún Hến which comes sorta close to chaat.

4 For Golgappa: the stuffing should be hot and the water cold.

5 The Southern Indians have a bunch of fried snacks they call 'Tiffin': Kodbale, Chakli (Murukku), Muchri, Tenkolal. See the 'MTR' link below.
(This does not include a huge set of little meals (also called 'Tiffin') e.g Dosa, Uttapam, Upma, Pohe et al)

6 Bonda and Vada are oily and ok. Try the Maddur Vada.

7 The Deccani make a dried garlic-peanut-chilli powder. Try sprinkling this on Vada Pav. Also sprinkle f2.

8 Ragda Pattice and Aloo Tikki are fried potato-peas cutlets with lashings of (b + s + c + v).

9 Drizzle b6 b2 and c on a Kachori.

10 Wikipedia's Kati roll recommendations are good.

11 I once had 'Chinese Bhel' in Sikkim. It had Chinese cabbage and soy sauce in it.

12 Ask for 'Namkeen' (नमकीन) in an Indian store. This translates from the Urdu as 'that with salt' (literally) or 'savory / snack'.

13 Pav Bhaji is a galaxy unto itself and I cannot do justice to it here.

14 Basket Chaat is ridiculous.


Companies:

Haldiram's
'Nimbu Masala' is terrible.
Plain Bhujia (without aloo/potato and with Gujia) is excellent.

Chitale Bandhu makes a good Bakarwadi and cornflakes chiwda.

MTR sells 'Instant Snack Mixes' to fry at home. They're ok.


Links:

Indian fast food
Another Subcontinent food forum
posted by Taksi Putra at 2:24 AM on April 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]