On the road to Ram Jula, as I dodged the cows and their pats on the pavement, the colourfully dressed women looking for bargains in the souvenir shops, and the Babas draped in all their orange cloth, it started to rain, heavily.
In my flip flops (the best footwear for such downpours), I tried to tuck my head and the rest of my body under the umbrella of a street stall vendor, along with 10 other people. I stood nose to nose with a young Indian man digging into a steamy plate of colours – red, green, yellow, brown, and I asked him what he was eating.
“Chole Aloo Tikki”.
After finishing his dish, the Indian man bought me one, smiled kindly, and wished me well on my travels. I stood with my wet hair stuck to my face, the gritty grimy mud exfoliating in between my toes, and as I took the first crunchy bite, the whole world went silent around me.
This was my very first street food in India and I will remember every flavour, and every texture that bounced around my palate, warming my mouth with spice and heat, down to my belly like a hot water bottle embracing it.
What is Chaat?
Derived from the verb ‘Chaatna’, meaning to ‘lick’ in Hindi and Urdu, chaat is a type of categorisation for a multitude of South Asian dishes that follow a loose formula. It originated in the state of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India and has since evolved into both sweet and savoury versions, found all around the country. The common theme for chaat has not changed over time, it brings people together of all backgrounds and is accessible to everyone.
Like all food history, there are myths and legends about when the first chaat appeared. Despite the tale that chaat was served to royalty during the 17th century in northern India, there are mentions of chaat-type dishes in A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food, that describes dahi vada ain 500BC.
Chole Aloo Tikki Chaat is from the bustling city of Delhi and is a wonderful union of soft and crispy textures as well as sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Despite the simplicity of this dish and how it is served, there are many elements that it is comprised of that need to be executed with skill and experience.
Aloo Tikki
The base of this dish is made from potatoes, that can be seasoned simply with salt, or in other variations, with spices such as cumin, garam masala or coriander powder. The potatoes are cooked, mashed and then shaped into a pattie. It is then fried on a large shallow pan until crispy and then pushed to the side, allowing the heat of the pan to keep it warm. Just before serving, the fried potato patty is crushed once or twice, opening up to embrace and soak in the wonderful chole, chutneys and toppings.
Chole
The chole in this dish adds texture and protein and a rich sauce that mingles with the coriander and tamarind chutneys. Made with black chickpeas (kala chana), which are then cooked with a myriad of spices including coriander, cumin, chaat masala and amchur (dried mango powder). Black salt is sometimes added, giving the chole the extra funk to make this dish exceptional. The chole which is topped onto the aloo tiki is of a substantial viscosity, like Greek yoghurt.
Imli Chutney (Tamarind Chutney)
Tamarind has been used for centuries in Indian cooking, counteracting salt and fat in many dishes. Tamarind landed in India as a result of Arab traders and it has been used in Indian cooking for centuries, balancing out salt and fat in many dishes. Imli Chutney gives an uplifting tartness with a slight sweetness to any chaat and is a simple combination of tamarind pulp, jaggery and a few spices. There are many variations that include the use of sugar or dates to sweeten, and cumin, chilli, fenugreek, or black salt to add more depth.
Black Chickpeas.
Credit Healthiersteps.com
Dhaniya Chutney (Coriander Chutney)
In its simplest form, dhaniya chutney is blended with coriander, ginger, lemon juice, garlic, and green chillies. It freshens up a dish Yet again there are many variations of Dhaniya chutney with some recipes adding coconut or chaat masala.
The rest of the dish is garnished with dahi (yoghurt), chopped red onion and coriander.
Chole Aloo Tikki Chaat is just one example of Indian culture, not only is it a representation of how such varied textures and flavours can combine to create such a harmonised dish, but it also represents the street food culture in its totality, breaking down barriers and creating a community from the universal love language around the world, food.