I ran out of post ideas today. Started two posts and abandoned them. Sigh!
NaBloPoMo prompts are not all that appetizing either. The only thing that looks remotely appetizing is the thought of food. Some yummy, yummy chaat, which I have to make myself. Tough life 😦
I wish we could find one restaurant here which serves good chaats, have the time the sad excuses for a chaat make me repent the decision to eat out. I make better chaat than them, and that is something, because as you guys know, cooking and me are far, far apart. My friends however, make the best, tastiest dishes. One of them once made a delicious chaat with potato waffles, chopped onions, tomatoes and green chillies and chaat masala. It was so simple, and yet so delicious. All she did was toss it all together, and it was ready. The most mouthwateringly delicious dish! I am drooling at the mere thought of it.
Another friend tossed up a chaat with similar ingredients, and everything else he could lay his hands on. It was, needless to say, delicious! We were on holiday, and I think that was the most satisfying meal during that holiday.
I grew up in a little town in eastern India. The golgappas and papdi chaats that we got there, was mindblowing. I still do not get that taste anywhere. It was only when I moved away for studies that I realized how wonderful they tasted. And also how tastes that we grow up with last us a lifetime. Some of the tastes that husband loves, I find flat, or boring, and he can’t understand what I like in some dishes. Also the addition of one little ingredient can kill the taste for some, while without that same ingredient, another set of people might hate the dish!
I had blogged about how I love fermented idlis and dosas. I just cannot eat unfermented idlis and dosas. On a side note, I have finally mastered the art of fermenting it. I found the right place to keep the batter in order to maintain the temperature to ferment the batter – perfectly! So as I was saying, I hate unfermented idlis and dosas. We know someone who hates fermented idlis and dosas – absolutely hates it! All a matter of taste, isn’t it? Husband hates orange and lemon cakes, while I love them!
So what is your idea of a perfect chaat? Do you like it hot and tangy or sweet and sour? Or do you like a good bhelpuri or is it the golgappas that you lust after? All I know for sure is, that I need to do some chopping and tossing now, if I need to get any work done. I have to eat some chaat, NOW!
🙂
ok, confession time. i am not a big fan of chaat. my weakness is about indian sweets 🙂
Oh we are total opposites then 🙂 I love chaats and am not too fond of Indian sweets 🙂
you are in a better position in that case, chaat doesnt have as many calories as a piece of burfi.
🙂 Thank god for small mercies 🙂 But I make up for the calories with my cakes 🙂
I am just like u Smithu 🙂
Spicy, tangy chats for me anytime 🙂
Come to birmingham, there is a restaurant opened on hagley road Chennai Dosa, apprarantly they make yummy stuff and chaat included 🙂
One thing is good next time I come towards your city I know I will be EATING all that fooood …
I know about Chennai Dosa – we used to frequent(haunt) it when we were in London 🙂
Btw, I will be coming to Birmingham next week – will let you know once the plan finalizes.
YEs please do let me know … excellent ..
i love chaats. my favs are the gol gappa in delhi and the bhel in mumbai. i make chaats out of anything too. the trick really is to add onion, tomatoes, green chillies and lots of lemon. my fav chaat memory is of this small street seller in jamshedpur. i was very young then. needless to say, i’ve forgotten the taste of the chaat. but i still remember being totally ga ga about it everytime i ate it.
I am from Jamshedpur too 🙂 And the chaats there are out of the world! I still can’t get chaats that match the taste there 🙂
Welcome here, Dipika.
I know, I know. I lived in that city and craved for chaat.
Over here, I get absolutely delicious, mouth watering chaat, in not just one, but so many places! Some just a block away from home 😀
You lucky you!!!! You know the chaat situation here, don’t you 😦
UK has to be an insult to chaat 😦
I couldn’t agree more!
After coming here, I make chaat myself than eating out. With all these years of practice I make the best ragda patties and pani puri I have ever tasted. There – I have said it and that too so modestly 😛
Wow! Yum! That sounds just yum! I so want some ragda patties now!
Oh and I also make something called ‘jhatka bhel’ with the Bombay mix that we get here. Bombay mix, maggi hot and sweet ketchup, onions, green chillies/chilli pdr, tomatoes and chaat masala. Ready in 1 minute exactly 😀
You make me drool! I make things like this too – anything to satisfy the soul craving for chaats 🙂
It has to be a combination of hot, spicy, tangy and sweet!!
I like my chaats hot, tangy and no sweet in it 🙂 I hate it when they put sweet chutney in it – breaks my heart 😦
Sigh!! With this weather, the need to eat chat has grown and there is NO restaurant close by which has good Indian chat!!
Bangalore was perfect for chaats for me… the little gaadi near home, served the best masala puri ever! 😀
All these places abroad, why can’t they have one decent chaat place????
I soooo wanna eat chat now Smithu, and this when we already had puchkas sday 😛 😛
You lucky girl! Stop being greedy 🙂
Poochkas….I am sure you got them in the east of India…they are amazing..and the super tangy spicy sev batata puri in Baroda..and the deliciously spicy bhel puri in Mumbai..lady I am trying to lose weight here and you are not helping grrrrrrr!
Chaats are not fattening – that is what I tell myself 😉 Have you had jhal muri on the trains in the eastern sector? They are just fab! My mouth waters at the thought of them 🙂
I am now hungry!!!
you know i can make chaats too, but what i cant make is the chutney and without that the chaat is of no use.. my mum makes the most awesome chutney in the world..
I resort to things like Nando’s hot sauce and stuff to compensate 😦 But my chaats are no great shakes – I just make them when I cannot do without a dose 🙂
Ps: i like the new template, but why does it show only 1 post and that too only 1 paragraph?
I tried to change it to show the whole post, but the layout got messed up.. I hate the fact that it shows only one post.. I need to tinker about with the template – haven’t had a chance, thanks to NaBloPoMo.
Hahah… I am SO glad I am in aamchi Mumbai right now!! 😀 😀 Let me gloat!!
😦 Yes gloat! When poor people like us live far away, hoping for a taste of street food 🙂
LOL I love chats and now that u have reminded me I will have to go have some and the idea of raj kachori with loads of dahi is mighty appealing in this heat
Monika! You are adding to my drool! I made a chaat last night after doing this post – I could not resist 🙂
I luvvvvvvvvv chaat…and will definitely have it after going home today 🙂 I m not big fan of golgappa but chaat papri and bhelpuri 🙂
I like all sorts of chaats. Lucky you – you can eat it whenever you want 🙂
Love love love chaats…esp the pani puri….thats how I begin my chaat evenings…then proceed to chenna samosa. If I eat bhel, I need it spicy – not the sweet one.
Same here! I need it spicy too! I hate it sweet!
Dahi chaats are gr8 during hot summer afternoons, when we take a break during shopping madness…. 😉
Yum!!!!
Am happy u are able to make ur idly batter ferment better…. 🙂
Yay! Finally 🙂
I want one HOT and TANGY chaat now now now…
Add some extra green chillies on top pls.
When would i get this? 😦
My mouth is watering and my heart aching to go to have apni dilli kee chaat.
I loooooooooooooooooove chaat!!! During our college days, Gangotri used to be one of our favourite haunts!!!! And did you say Orange and Lemon cakes? Euggghhhhh 😦 That’s one thing we don’t agree on 🙂
Smitha I hate this post. I am so far away from home. Missing food most of all-and you want to talk of chaat!
Bhel puri at Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai was my last memorable Chaat experience
I have lived in Bangalore for 37 years and have not tasted Chaat like they make at the Mumbai beaches.
The “Sev” there is extra fine. The onions taste better. The chutneys have a taste that the Bangalorean Chaat maker is just not able to get. The puffed rice used is different in Mumbai and Bangalore.
Other than Bhel, I loved Paani poories,
as they are called in Mumbai, where I spent my childhood.
They call them puchkas and gol gappas elsewhere in the country.
I enjoy these nowadays, at home with a lot of variety thrown in. Instead of Jal jeera, we tried experimenting with cold refrigerated left over Neembu Rasam (Rasam with a lemon squeezed in). It offers a welcome change in taste.
Samosa chaat is also a favourite of mine. I have heard Samosas called differently in other parts of the country.
“Singhaada” was used in Bihar, and in Haryana they called it “trikone”
If any one knows a place in Bangalore that offers Chaats like they make in Mumbai, I would love to know.
We, here in South India, are better at Dosa’s and Idlies and Vadas. Chaat’s are better in Western and Northern India. Just my opinion of course. Can be debated.
Thanks for this opportunity to get my mouth wet, thinking about these tasty goodies.
The taste buds don’t grow old, even if the hair turns gray.
Regards
GV
oh now u have made me crave for panipuri like right now.