Time for Aloo Chaat with Blogger Aysha Mahmood
Aysha Mahmood, is a 20 year old student studying media and marketing at Keele University. Aysha has been taking part in work experience here with BabaBaboon and explored the world of food which took her around the world.
Here Aysha shares her own food recipes and ideas – exclusively – for BabaBaboon’s readers…
Aysha says: “My work experience has has helped me enjoy creative writing again, a hobby that really opened up my imagination when I was a child so I hope as you read and create these dishes for yourself you can experience the wonders of the ratatouille, cheesy naan bread, poulet au coco and aloo chaat….”
Aysha’s second Blog is all about Aloo Chaat…
“Aloo chaat is the most popular South Asian street food dish that will always leave you wanting more and more as the translation of aloo is “potato” and chaat translates “to lick”. It is a dish that can be eaten hot or cold and mixes the sweet, spicy and sour together but the best part being that it is the simplest and tastiest dish to make – as it only takes 20 minutes so when you are needing that snack with a kick or an easy starter to serve your friends (when we can) this is the dish for you.
“This dish never fails to amaze me, as it’s just so flavoursome! When you need that kick in your day, that does not involve caffeine, this is what you need. I have been eating aloo chaat for as long as I can remember yet I find myself craving for more. Like every time I go to different restaurants, aloo chaat will always be my first choice of starter, most of the time I like to imagine I am a food judge making sure all the flavours and textures are there – and most of the time they are. However, with this recipe, you can’t go wrong, as over this past year or so I have perfected this recipe just for you so we can share the love for aloo chaat together.
“I find the garnishing the most crucial part as it makes the dish with the additional flavourings, as I add the tangy pomegranates which burst in your mouth with bombay mix as that adds spicy-ness and crunch with tamarind sauce which is sweet and smooth with the aloo chaat itself, can officially be called heaven on earth, It is one of those dishes that you just have to try!”
(Main image by Aysha)
(Aysha shares her recipe below as a guide…)
Aloo Chaat
Cooking time: 20 mins Ingredient:
200g/ 1 cup chickpeas 1 tsp baking soda 3 large potatoes 1 yellow onion 3 to 4 green chillies (optional) 4 tbsp lemon juice ½ cup of tamarind paste cilantro/ coriander (to taste) 3 to 4 tbsp chaat masala 20 cups water Crushed papri or bombay mix (to garnish, optional) Pomegranates (to garnish, optional) Lime juice (to garnish, optional) Tamarind sauce (to garnish, optional)
Method:
Step 1:
Peel the potatoes and then cut them into chunks and boil the potatoes using 10 cups of water using a soup pot or saucepan until they are soft.
Step 2:
Boil the chickpeas separately in 10 cups of water and the baking soda using a soup pot or saucepan for 10 minutes.
Step 3:
Once the chickpeas and potatoes are cooked, leave them to the side to cool down.
Step 4:
Finely dice the onions and slice the chillies.
Step 5:
Tear the cilantro/coriander leaves and crush the papri for the garnish.
Step 6:
Mix all the ingredients together.
Step 7:
Garnish the chaat with the cilantro/ coriander leaves and the papri or bombay mix but you can also add lime juice or even sprinkle pomegranates or drizzle tamarind sauce to finish off the dish.
And enjoy!
Aysha will be back soon with another “tasty” food blog for BabaBaboon…
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