Chana Trauma, or, Requiem for a Chaat

We here at Gora Chaat are nothing if not dreamers.  Let’s face it, we are two lily-white (or as we prefer, idli-white) gora trying to recreate the complex cuisine of India.  We may be way out of our league, but blind ambition and love of all things seasoned with chaat masala drive us forward.

So when we first heard about Coconut & Lime‘s blogiversary contest, it seemed like a natural fit for our (humble baby of a) blog.  Both coconuts and limes are abundant in India. Most chaats come finished with a healthy squeeze of lime, and if coconut is not usually featured in chaat, it certainly is not a discordant flavor. It couldn’t be that hard to combine coconut, lime, and chaat…

famous. last. words.

 

Chaat Masala, or, Chaat for Dummies

one little box, infinite possiblities...

Any voyage into the world of chaat requres some discussion of chaat masala.  Simply put, chaat masala is a spice mixture that TURNS ANYTHING INTO CHAAT.  Now, when I say spice mixture, I am not referring to the garam masala you bought online after watching the Food Network.  And I am definitely not referring tothe curry powder you got from the supermarket as an impulse buy the day after your first time at an Indian restaurant.  No, chaat masala is a different beast entirely.

 

lemon rice! finally

I regret that my first post, and our first collective actual food post, is not really about chaat. But the truth is that I was craving some Andhra-style pulihora, and I already had the stuff laying around the house.

Some disclaimers first: I was missing some pretty essential ingredients (curry leaves, dal, chilies), and also these pictures are lousy. Also I did not really measure anything. But I can assure you that while this does not really compare to what a good Telugu amma would make you, it does in fact taste like lemon rice.

Ingredients:

• Black mustard seeds
• Garam masala
• Peanuts
• Rice (I used basmati)
• Salt (I used kosher, but table salt would probably work too)
• Lemon juice (fresh if you can get it)
• Turmeric

Ingredients you should also use, but I did not have:

• Curry leaves
• 2-4 green chilies
• Some dal

1. Cook your rice, and set it aside to cool.
2. Fry the mustard seeds, peanuts, and garam masala in a little oil for a  minute or so, until you can hear the mustard seeds cracking open.  (The curry leaves,  dal, and chilies should be in there too. Chop the chilies in half first.)
3. Once that’s done, pour everything in the pan, oil included, on top of the rice. Mix it in with a wooden spoon or what have you.
4. After this, you can go to town with the lemon juice, salt, and turmeric. Use whatever combination of lemon juice and salt seems appropriate to you – it should taste tangy, but not make you squint when you eat it. Add a little of each at a time until it tastes right and you won’t end up with a bowl of something you can’t eat. Do whatever you want with the turmeric; it doesn’t really taste like anything, and mostly just adds color.
5. Mix together until the entire bowl of rice is equally yellow and tangy. Eat, preferably with some yogurt on the side, or stirred in. Delicious.

 

Dear Readership,

…which is to say, no one.  This is just a warning to say that the phrase “chaat chat” is lies in waiting for an appropriate moment.

 

People of the world: spice up your life!

So… statement of purpose.  When you think of Indian food, you probably think about rich curries, fragrant rice, spicy tandoor-cooked meats, all served with a healthy helping of naan.  In a word, lame.  The food you are eating in restaurants is largely ignoring what is, in simple terms, the awesomest genre of Indian cuisine: streetfood.  No offence to the illustrious culinary traditions of India (and there are many!), but for us, chaat reigns supreme.

But, the streets here are not exactly overflowing with chaat-wallahs (snack vendors).  And so we aim to scope out our favorites, trying to recreate those delicious morsels.  We will talk about some of our favorites, and try to bring them out of our memories.  Expect the unexpected (to be deep fried).

Yes, that is a tomato.