Delhi -- Aloo Chaat recipe (Baked version)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 6
State: Delhi
Dish: (Un)fried Aloo Chaat Delhi style

Delhi is the Capital of India and is situated in Northern part of India. It is a Union territory and second largest populous city in the world. I have visited Delhi 3~4 times as a kid, but don't remember what we ate there. One of my aunts used to live in Delhi and we used to have more homemade meals and never really explored the street food in Delhi.

Cuisine: Delhi is a city with a very vast history. It has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. Through, most of the history, it served as the capital of various kingdoms and empires. It was the capital for centuries under Mughal rule and the Mughals influenced the cuisine of Delhi to a large extent. Food culture in Delhi is a mixture of North Indian food, Mughlai cuisines, Punjabi food and mouth watering street food.
Street Food is extremely popular in Delhi and a trend of dinig at local dhabas is popular among the residents. The Gali Paranthe Wali is a street in Chandni Chowk particularly for food eateries since the 1870s. Almost the entire street is occupied by fast food stalls or street vendors.
Specialties: Aloo Chaat, Dahi Vada, Kachori, Chole Bature, Jalebi etc.,

Today's Dish: I decided to make one of the famous street foods from Delhi, Fried Aloo Chaat. Deep fried diced potatoes are tossed with onions, spices and lemon juice and when served hot, it is very delicious and addictive snack. I wanted to cut down some calories by roasting the potatoes instead of deep frying them.
Boiling the potatoes before roasting them at a high temperature ensured that the potatoes were cooked through but also had a crispy and crunchy outside. My potato loving husband absolutely loved this snack.

Ingredients: Serves 2~3

Potatoes - 4~5 medium, peeled and diced
Red Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
Green Chili - 1, finely chopped
Cilantro - 2tbsp, finely chopped
Red chili powder - ½tsp
Ground Cumin - ½tsp
Chaat Masala - ½tsp
Black Salt (kala namak) - ¼tsp
Lemon Juice - 2~3tsp
Ginger - 2tsp, julienned
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a small bowl, take ginger and add 1tsp lemon juice and salt. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Microwave the potatoes with little water for 5~6 minutes or until the potatoes are almost fork-tender. They should be still be firm to touch and not mushy at all. Drain well and put them on a baking sheet.
• Add 2tbsp oil and salt to the potatoes and mix well.
• Bake for 15~20 minutes in the oven, stirring once in between until the potatoes are golden all over.
• Remove the roasted potatoes into a bowl, add chili powder, ground cumin, chaat masala, black salt, chopped red onion, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well and serve topped with the julienned ginger. 

This snack tastes best when served immediately.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 39.

And to Fabulous Feast Friday# 9 being hosted by Mir & Sandhya.

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