Aloo Chana Chaat (Spicy Potato Chickpea Snack)

Ingredients

• 1 pound new potatoes or small Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
• Kosher salt

½ small onion, chopped

• 1 serrano chili, seeds removed if desired, chopped
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving

¼ cup vegetable oil

• 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, patted dry

Freshly ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons chaat masala
• 2 tablespoons prepared tamarind chutney, divided
• pinch of sugar

¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

• 2 tablespoons melted ghee or clarified butter
• ¼ cup sev (optional)

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, season water with salt, and cook until fork-tender, 12–15 minutes. Drain; set potatoes aside.
2. Meanwhile, pulse onion, chili, ginger, and ½ cup cilantro in a food processor to a coarse paste; set aside.
3. Using the palm of your hand, lightly crush potatoes (it’s okay if the skins split). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add potatoes and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until potatoes and chickpeas are both very browned and crisp, 12–15 minutes.
4. Add masala, reserved cilantro mixture, and 1 Tbsp. tamarind chutney and toss to coat. Cook until spices are fragrant and tamarind chutney is thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
5. Stir sugar into yogurt in a small bowl; season with salt. Drizzle over potatoes along with ghee and remaining 1 Tbsp. tamarind chutney. Top with more cilantro and sev, if using.

Notes

Alu chat (also spelled as alu chaat, aloo chat, or aloo chaat) is a street food originating from the Indian subcontinent, it is popular in North India, West Bengal in Eastern India, Pakistan and also in parts of Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. It is prepared by frying potatoes in oil and adding spices and chutney. It can also be prepared with unfried boiled potatoes as well as adding fruits along with spices, lime juice and chutney.

Alu chat is mainly a street food. It can be served as a snack, a side dish or a light meal. It is made from boiled and fried cubed potatoes served with chat masala. It is a versatile dish that has many regional variations. The word alu means potatoes in Hindi and the word chat is derived from Hindi word chatna which means tasting. Thus, alu chat means a savory potato snack.