BAKED PAPDI CHAAT - STREET FOOD MADE HEALTHY AND GUILT FREE

Whenever I think of street food, myriad images conjure up in my mind. Images of people huddled around chaat vendors enjoying the spicy and tangy treat. Breaking hot aloo tikkis and smothering with chutney and seasoned yogurt and enjoying  the blissful indulgence. Others managing a blast of spicy water as gol gappa bursts inside their mouth.  Slurping, licking, chomping, smacking their lips and savouring every morsel of their favourite chaat while the vendor deftly attends to one and all with dexterity that he has acquired in his trade over the years!

In north India, chaat is the most popular street food. Though momos, and dosas have also made a foray but chaat stills reigns supreme. Every street and every corner of the market has a chaat vendor doling out his specialties – samosas, tikkis, gol gappas and papdi chaat. I am not a fan of chaat, but whenever I pass by a chaat vendor, the palate titillating aroma  does hit me.

When Annarasa announced the street food event, there couldn’t have been a better occasion to try out my own version of healthy homemade Baked Papdi chaat. 

BAKED PAPDI CHAAT

Papdi

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon semolina

1 tablespoon butter or ghee (clarified butter)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon carom (ajwain) seeds

Water for kneading

Method

In a plate, mix flour, semolina, salt and carom seeds. Add butter and mix well.

Add water gradually and knead firm smooth dough.

Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour.

Pre heat the oven at 180 degrees C.

Divide the dough into three parts.

Roll a thin chapatti from each part.

Cut out Papadis using a cookie cutter. Prick with a fork.

Arrange on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or when the edges start turning brown. Remove from the tray and bake the rest of the Papadis.

Sweet chutney

Sweet Chutney

Ingredients

1/3 cup amchur powder (dried mango powder)

1 ½ cups crumbled jaggery

1 teaspoon kala namak (black rock salt)                         

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon dried saunth (ginger powder)

½ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)

1 ¼ cups water

Method

Mix amchur powder and water. Breaks the lumps.

Add crumbled jaggery and cook on medium flame till it becomes thick and gains sauce like consistency.

Green chutney

Add kala namak, garam masala, saunth and chili powder.

When cold, transfer to a glass jar and store.

Green Chutney

Click here                                            

Yogurt – 1 ½   cup

Beat the yogurt till smooth. Add a teaspoon of salt

Potatoes

Boil the potatoes, keeping them firm. Peel and dice.

Cumin seeds

Roast the cumin seeds on a hot griddle. Powder when cold.

Salt and chili powder

Keep a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of red chili powder to sprinkle.

Chat masala

Keep a tablespoon of chaat masala to sprinkle in the end.

Roasted cumin seeds

Arrange about 10 to 12 papadis in a serving plate. Add diced potatoes. Pour yogurt. Pour a tablespoon of sweet chutney and a teaspoon of green chutney. Sprinkle some salt, chilly powder, cumin seed powder and chaat masala. Serve.

My notes: Monitor the Papadis after 15 minutes. Remove when they start turning brown from the edges. They tend to burn fast.

Adjust salt and sweet in chutney according to taste.

Add spices according to taste.

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