1,000 Indian Recipes (103 page)

Bhel Poori

Makes 4 to 6 servings

From the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) comes another mixture of delicious crunchy foods—usually puffed rice, broken flour chips, split chickpeas and noodles—that are first tossed with boiled potatoes, onions, green chile peppers, and cilantro, and then topped with three different sauces.

The vendors have all this ready for your asking and make it fresh for each customer. Making the dry ingredients for this specialty at home is quite a task, so most of us simply visit the Indian markets and buy it, apportioned and ready mixed, all set to be tossed with other wonderful flavors.

Mix it together just before eating, or better still, set everything out on the table like a salad bar and let people help themselves.

2 to 4 tablespoons
Sweet Sonth Chutney with Dates

1 to 3 tablespoons
Garlic and Fresh Red Chile Pepper Chutney

1 to 3 tablespoons
Roasted Dal and Fresh Green Chile Pepper Chutney

1 large russet (or any) potato

4 cups bhel-poori mix, store-bought

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

¹
⁄
₂
cup shelled, chopped roasted peanuts

1.
Prepare the chutneys. Cook the potato in lightly salted boiling water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes, then peel and finely chop.

2.
In a large bowl, mix together the bhel-poori mix, mashed potato, onion, and cilantro. Add all the chutneys and toss to mix well. Scatter the peanuts on top and serve immediately or the mixture will get soggy.

Crispy Flour Chips with Vegetables and Spicy Chutneys

Sev-Poori

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Sev-poori
are crispy pastry chips topped with a spicy mixture of potatoes, onions, and crispy chickpea noodles (
sev
), supported by yogurt and different chutneys—the idea is to be able to eat each chip whole, with everything on it, and see who can be the least messy.

Made from all-purpose flour, the
poori
chips (called
papri
chips in the north) are quite easy to make at home. You can make them from scratch (see
Flour Chips with Yogurt and Mango Powder Chutney
). or cut thin flour tortillas into 1
¹
⁄
₂
- to 2-inch rounds or squares and deep-fry them until golden. Tortilla chips are almost like authentic
poori
chips.

Many varieties of
sev
are available in Indian markets. Buy tiny, thin ones that look like curly bits of angel hair or vermicelli pasta. Allow 2 to 4 topped
sev-poori
chips per person.

¹
⁄
₄
cup
Basic Green Chutney

¹
⁄
₄
cup
Minty Sonth Chutney with Mango (or Tamarind) Powder and Jaggery

1 to 3 tablespoons
Garlic and Fresh Red Chile Pepper Chutney

1 large russet (or any) potato

20 to 24 flour chips, store-bought or homemade

1 medium onion, finely chopped

¹
⁄
₂
cup sprouted green mung beans (saabut mung dal), (optional)

1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

¹
⁄
₂
cup plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

¹
⁄
₂
cup crispy sev noodles

1.
Prepare the chutneys. Boil the potato in lightly salted boiling water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let cool, then peel and chop finely. Lay out the poori chips on a serving platter.

2.
Mix together the potato, onion, sprouted beans (if using), and cilantro, and place about 1 tablespoon on each chip, then place 2 teaspoons yogurt on top of that. Drizzle from 1 to 2 teaspoons of each of the chutneys over the yogurt and top with a sprinkling of sev. Serve immediately or they will get soggy.

Flour Chips with Yogurt and Mango Powder Chutney

Papri Chaat

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Made with the same chips as those for
sev-poories
,
papri chaat
is a very north Indian thing, and is not quite as popular in the rest of the country. With a lot of chips, topped with coarsely mashed potatoes and chickpeas, yogurt,
sonth
chutney, and spices, this street food is just as easy to make for one person as it is for large gatherings. Once the ingredients are ready, the final assembly takes only a few minutes.

Present it buffet-style, if you wish. Buy the
papri
chips from an Indian market, or make them the easy way, as in this recipe.

¹
⁄
₂
cup or more
Sonth Chutney with Dried Mango Slices

2 teaspoons
New Delhi Street Food Masala
, or
Chaat Masala
(or store-bought)

1 large russet (or any) potato

12 (8-inch) thin flour tortillas, preferably vegetarian style

2 to 3 cups peanut oil for deep-frying

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and coarsely mashed

1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, whisked until smooth

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

1.
Prepare the chutney and the masala. Boil the potato in lightly salted boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let cool, then peel and coarsely mash. Cut the flour tortillas into 1-inch pieces.

2.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat until it reaches 350°F to 375°F on a frying thermometer or until a tiny piece of the tortilla dropped into the hot oil bubbles and immediately rises to the top. Deep-fry the tortilla pieces in 3 or 4 batches, turning them with a slotted spatula, until golden, about 2 minutes per batch.

3.
Using a slotted spatula transfer to paper towels to drain. Let cool and use immediately, or store in airtight containers about 1 month.

4.
To serve, spread the chips on a serving platter, then one at a time, top with the potato and chickpea mixture, pour the yogurt evenly on the top and sides, making sure that most of the chips are covered (with some peeking through), then drizzle the sonth chutney over the yogurt. Sprinkle the masala and cayenne pepper, then the green chile peppers and cilantro. Serve immediately or it will get soggy.

Potato Patties

Tikki
patties are round, crusty, pan- or deep-fried potato patties—another one of India's favorite street foods.
Tikkis
are generally made with mashed potatoes and come plain or filled with a wide variety of vegetables, legumes, cheeses, and meats. They are traditionally fried in a pool of oil that collects in the center of a large, over-size, cast-iron, concave
tava
griddle. As they start to turn a rich golden hue, they are gently pushed toward the sloped outer edges of the
tava
, where they sit until all the excess oil drains out and the mild heat gently crisps and darkens the flat under-sides. They are turned once to crisp the other side.

Tikki
patties are customarily served whole with an assortment of saucy chutneys, or open-faced and topped with yogurt, special
masalas
(spice blends) and fresh herbs.
Tikkis
can be presented as you would hamburger patties, sandwiched between two pieces of bread with all kinds of fixings—even ketchup.

Home cooks often deep-fry the
tikkis
until just golden and then crisp them on a
tava
griddle. All
tikki
patties can be made 4 to 5 days in advance then cooled completely and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in a skillet or a preheated 400°F oven, about 10 minutes.

Basic Mashed Potato Patties

Aalu ki Tikkiyan

Makes 8 to 10 pieces

When professional cooks make their
tikkis
, they generally mix some bread with the mashed potatoes because bread helps the patties maintain their shape and texture. Once they are put together and patties are made, the cooking procedure for all the
tikkis
is essentially the same. When preparing these for a large gathering, make bite-size (about 1
¹
⁄
₄
-inch) rounds. They will be easier to eat and you'll get many more.

4 medium russet (or any) potatoes (about 1 pound)

2 to 3 slices white bread, crusts removed