Katori Chaat

             This is one of my favorite chaat recipes. Its a must try recipe. It has a lot of work involved especially in frying. But the end product just makes you forget of the work involved.    
              There is also a step by step pictorial presentation of making katoris below.

Ingredients:

• Katoris
• 4 big Potatoes
• Salt to taste
• Corn Flour
• Cold water
• Oil for deep frying 
• Stuffing
• Chickpeas 1 cup Soaked for 8 hours
• 1 Onion Finely chopped
• 1 Big Tomato pureed
• Chole Masala 1 tbsp.
• Red Chili powder 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• Oil
• Garnish
• Mint Chutney
• Tamarind Chutney
• Yoghurt
• Nylon Sev
• Finely chopped Coriander leaves
• Chaat Masala

Method:

• Katoris
• Peel the potatoes. Grate the potatoes in a grater. Soak the grated potatoes in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain the water thoroughly from the potatoes. Now spread it on a towel to absorb the excess moisture. Add little bit salt just for taste. Add 1 tsp corn flour. Mix. If needed add some more corn flour. The potatoes should not contain moisture.
• Take 2 small stariners - one slightly bigger than the other.
• Spread the grated potatoes on the larger strainer. Layer the strainer properly with grated potatoes. Put the smaller strainer on it. Carefully place this layered strainers in hot oil. Fry the potatoes katori till golden. Remove the katori from the strainer carefully on a paper napkin. Make such katoris from the grated potato mixture.
• Below is a step by step pictorial presentation for making Katoris.
• Stuffing - Chole
• Pressure cook the soaked chickpeas till cooked.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add finely chopped onions. Saute till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste. Saute for 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes puree, red chilli powder & Chole masala to it. Mix well. Cover with a lid & cook till oil separates from the gravy.
• Add pressure cooked Chickpeas. Add salt to taste. 
• Make the gravy dry & not watery.
• Assembling
• Place a katori on a plate.
• Add chole to it.
• Drizzle some yoghurt over it.
• Drizzle green chutney & tamarind chutney over it.
• Sprinkle chaat masala over it.
• Garnish with nylon sev & chopped coriander leaves over it.
• Assemble such katoris one by one as needed or it will go soggy.

• Step by Step Pictorial Presentation for making Katoris:



Peel the potatoes & grate them in the large holes grater.





Grated Potatoes.
 

Soak the grated potatoes in cold water for 5 minutes.
 

Drain the water from the soaked potatoes.

Place the drained potatoes in a napkin. Pat them dry
with the napkin to get rid of the excess moisture from it..

Add 1 tsp of corn flour & very little salt just for taste.

Mix. Add some cornflour to the potatoes
 if you still feel the potatoes are moist.

Take 2 strainers one slightly larger than the other.

In the larger strainer put some of the
potato mixture. Give it the shape of the
 katori. Make a thin katori. Try that there
 are no holes in the formed potato katori.

 

As you can see the smaller strainer goes
inside the katori. Basically you just have
 to fill the gap between the two strainers.

Now fry the katoris with the strainers on medium
 flame. Take care while frying because there is
still some moisture in the potatoes due to which
 the oil may splutter on your hand while frying.
For that just a smalltip: dip the strainer for few
seconds  & remove it upwards for few seconds...
 continue doing this to avoid oil spluttering on your hands.

Once the katoris are golden in color remove them
on paper napkins. Just lightly tap the larger strainer
 upside down on tha paper napkin as shown in the figure.

Crispy potato katoris are ready. Enjoy !!

Tips:

• Keep an eye while frying the katoris. When you see the golden color remove it immediately. Otherwise they will burn soon.
• Get rid of all the moisture from the grated potatoes otherwise you will face problem while frying.
• Make the chole gravy dry or else the katoris will go soggy soon.
• Assemble the katori chaat just before serving so that you can enjoy its crunch.

Related Recipes:

• Pani for Pani puri
• Puris for Pani Puri
• Aloo Tikki Chaat
• Healthy & Nutritious Dahi Beet Sev Puri
• Dahi Vada
• Paneer Tikka
• Garlicky Potato Wedges
• Falafels
• Chicken Biryani - Type 1