Kangan Chaat

Kangan Chaat

• 

Love for Food

You should never hurt a samosa, kachori or a Kangan chaat coz they too have fillings!! Chaat is the most popular street food in India and Kangan Chaat is another that joins the impressive list. People who love to eat are the happiest people and what about people who love to cook and feed? They are happier I feel, as people who give you their food give you their heart, like me! I am a die-hard romantic and I feel that good food has a kind of romance to it. The spectacle of food cooked to precision, the aroma that tantalizes the nostrils and the flavours that are a burst on the taste buds are enough to make you fall in love with it. Eating food is a nourishing experience, apart from being the very necessity of our existence.

Chaat is Love

Chaat is popular all over India and is the most sought after street food at present. With the advent of the internet, fusion food has become the latest mantra and experiments in the kitchen are dishing out gastronomic delights.

South India

South India relatively has very little chat as street food and panipuri is the only famous one. I do not get to see much variety here like up north. Few days ago there was a wedding and the caterer had come up with  starters; Kangan Chaat was one of them. I had my fill of panipuri and kept eyeing the Kangan chat but didn’t eat it. It was colourful and the idea of filling coloured pepper rings with mashed potato was very tempting.

• 

 Recipe for Kangan Chat

The next time I went to the supermarket for my grocery shopping, I picked up one big capsicum, red and yellow pepper each. The Kangan chaat was just not going out of my mind. I cut rings out of the peppers and wore them on my wrist like Kangan or bangles as the name suggests. The edible bangles on my wrist looked so colourful. Being my usual self I had to add my own twist to the recipe and I added boiled sweetcorn and mozzarella to the mashed potatoes to give an extra zing to the taste.

Ingredients for Kangan Chaat

1 each red pepper,yellow pepper

1 green capsicum

4 potatoes (boiled)

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt, to taste

 Oil to shallow fry

1 tsp. chat masala

½ cup boiled sweet corn

1 sprig coriander leaves

3 tbsp grated Mozzarella

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp oil

1 green chilli

2 tbsp corn starch

½ cup semolina or breadcrumbs

1 tsp cumin

Mint chutney,

2 tbsp Sev to garnish 

• 

Method:

Take the peppers and wash nicely. Now carefully remove the stalk on the top.

Cut into ½ inch rings. Remove all the seeds inside so that a clear ring is visible.

Boil and grate the potatoes in a bowl (yes, I grate as it is more even and smooth).

In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil and add the cumin, wait it till crackles and then, add green chilli, coriander, chat masala, pav bhaji masala, chilli powder and turmeric.

Add the boiled and grated potato and American corn. Add the salt. Mix well. Add the mozzarella and mix nicely. Add the chopped coriander to garnish. I had actually roasted cashew nuts but forgot to add them.

Your filling is ready. Once it has cooled down a bit, take the potato mixture and make it into a round patties on your palm. Now fill the rings one by one with the potato filling.

Add a little water to the corn starch to make a thick paste. With your fingers spread it on the filling on both sides. Finally spread some bread crumbs over the filing. I prefer semolina and that what I used to get the crunchy taste.

Heat oil in a pan and slide in the filled pepper rings or Kangan. Fry evenly on both sides. When it turns golden brown then turn it over and cook on the other side till brown.

Serve Kangan Chaat with mint chutney, ketchup or any dip of your choice. Sprinkle some sev all over and your fancy-shancy bangle-like Kangan Chat is ready to eat.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•