Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat (Chickpea & Potato Pattie Chaat)

Blogging Marathon# 47: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: North Indian Starters
Dish: Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat

We are starting our last marathon for this year and my theme for this week is 'North Indian Starters'. Starters/ Appetizers are not really my forte because most of Indian starters are deep fried and I try to stay away from deep frying. When I saw this theme, I knew this will give me a chance to research on North Indian starters that I can add to my repertoire.
Valli hinted that we can made Chaats under this theme, so for the first day I have a very filling and delicious Chole-Aloo Tikki Chaat. I think this can be served as a first course for a simple North Indian meal.

Recipe is from Tarla Dalal's site. Delicious potato-pea patties are served with spicy and tangy chickpea gravy, then topped with crunchy sev and yummy mint & tamarind chutnies. This is a dish with lots of textures and flavors. A must try for all chaat lovers.

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Ragda Pattice/ Patties (Chaat from Mumbai)

Ragda Pattice is a very popular Chaat item from Mumbai. This was the first dish I made for Maharashtra, but changed it to Vada Pav and kept this for 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge' instead. I've never made ragda pattice at home until I saw this recipe being made on a Telugu cooking show and made it twice since then. I remember enjoying this snack on the road side stalls in Hyderabad, one particular one close to my aunt's house was our favorite.

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Maharashtra -- Vada Pav (famous Street food from Mumbai)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 16
State: Maharashtra
Dish: Vada Pav

We are going to Maharashtra, in the western coast of India. It is the second most populous state and the third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra occupies the western and central part of the country and has a long coastline nearly 720kms along the Arabian sea.
Maharashtra is divided into 5 geographic regions: Konkan is the western coastal region. Kandesh is the northwestern region. Desh is the center of the state. Marathwada is located in the southeastern part of the state. Vidarbha is the easternmost region of the state.
Maharashtra is the most industrialized state and has maintained its leading position in the industrial sector in India. The state is pioneer in small scale industries.
Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) is the capital of the State and is the financial capital of India. I have never visited Mumbai, but from what I've heard and seen in movies, it sounds like it is almost like New York -- crowded and always bustling with activity. India's main stock exchange, capital market and commodity exchange are all located in Mumbai. It is also the home of India movie industry, Bollywood.

Cuisine: Maharashtrian cuisine covers a range from being mild to very spicy dishes.
Staple Food: Wheat, rice, jowar, bajri, lentils, vegetables and fruit.
Specialties: Puran Poli, Ukdiche Modak, Batata wada, Thalipeeth, Misal Pav, Bhadang, Ukad, Amti etc.

Today's Dish: Street food is one of the characteristic of Mumbai. Mumbai is known for its distinctive street foods and people from all economic, religious and ethnic backgrounds enjoy their street food in Mumbai. So I decided to make one of the most popular street food from Mumbai, Vada Pav. Other favorites include Pani puri, Bhel puri, Sandwiches, Ragda pattice, Pav bhaji etc.,

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Sweet Chutney for Chaats (Date-Tamarind Chutney)

This sweet and tangy chutney is a must with any chaat. Balance is the key for this chutney, so adjust the quantities according to your personal taste preference.

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Green Chutney for Chaats (Cilantro-Mint Chutney)

Green Chutney is the quintessential ingredient for all the chaats. It is very simple to make with few ingredients but balance is the name of the game when making this dish. A little too much of any ingredient will change the taste. So adjust the ingredients as per your personal preference.

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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.,

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