Iftar recipe of the day: Samosa Chaat

A favourite all year round, chaat makes a grand entry onto our dining tables in Ramazan. With endless varieties such as dahi bara, aaloo, chana and fruit chaats, it is hardly surprising that you frequently find them at Iftar.

So, what makes a great chaat?

There has to be a main ingredient such as chickpeas, potato or samosa, some crunch in the form of paapri, vegetable and spices to add flavour and chutneys (sauces) to bring everything together.



So, if you have been longing to try your hand at making some delicious chaat varieties at home, here’s one you can start with:

Samosa Chaat

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas

3 tablespoons oil

½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)

2 medium-sized chopped onions

1 cup finely-chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

2 to 3 green chilies

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 teaspoon dry mango powder

Salt to taste

A dozen small or 5-6 large aaloo samosa

For garnishing

Imli (tamarind) sauce

Chilli sauce

Dhania chutney

½ cup finely-chopped onions

Chaat masala as required

Coriander leaves to garnish

Lemon juice

Yogurt

Fried green chilies

Method

Sauté chopped onions in a pan until translucent and then add two teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste. Stir until the smell of garlic and ginger fades away.

Next: add 1 cup of finely-chopped tomatoes and mix.

Now add the dry spices: lightly ground cumin, a pinch of turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and stir.

Fry the masala until the tomatoes become softer, and oil starts to separate from the mixture.

Add a few green chillies and salt.

Add canned chickpeas to the mixture, mash a few chickpeas - this will thicken the gravy - and simmer the masala on medium flame.

Add garam masala and dry mango powder when the mixture starts to bubble. Mix well.

Cook until the gravy has become slightly thick.

Assembly

To assemble, plate out this channa masala in a serving bowl. Break a samosa into pieces on top of the channa masala. Finally, add the chutneys and spices and garnish with onions and fresh coriander. Lemon juice and fried green chillies are excellent additions. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Veg recipes of India