There is another Indian Restaurant in Toronto that we really like, and you’ve probably heard of it because it’s in all the major cities around the world, it’s called Bombay Palace on Jarvis Street. We usually go there for lunch and there are two particular things I love, the carrot pickle and the Aloo Papri Chaat (described as a sweet Medley of crispy wafers chickpeas, potatoes with yogurt-mint chutney dressing). I tried to find as close a recipe as possible to this tangy, sweet and crunchy side, and this one was pretty darn close. I had to make a few changes due to unavailable ingredients, but to be honest, the flavour didn’t suffer for it. I must warn you, it does take a lot of steps.
Aloo Papri Chaat
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Semolina flour
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 7-8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 dried apricot
- 1 small cooked potato, cubed
- 100 g chick peas
- 1/2 cup low fat yogurt (if using Greek yogurt, you will need to add milk to achieve the right consistency)
- 1 chopped green chili
- 1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala (see spice mix below)
- Salt
- 1 cup peanut oil for frying
Directions:
- Make a soft dough with the flour and semolina by adding a little bit of water at a time.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle and cut into bite-sized squares.
- Heat the oil to fry the squares and fry them until they puff a little and are golden. Drain oil off and set aside.
Directions for the Tamarind Chutney:
- In a small heavy bottom sauce pan, add the tamarind paste and the apricot. Add about 1 cup of hot water to it and heat to a boil until the tamarind paste dissolves and the apricot is mushy. Blend well with an immersion blender. Strain out any hard bits from the tamarind paste.
- Add the sugar, chili powder and mix well. Boil until all of the water evaporates and you are left with a thick rich paste.
Ingredients for the Chaat Masala:
Note: the original recipe for Chaat Masala called for Mango Powder which I did not have, and therefore I substituted the apricot into the tamarind mix to replicate the sweet and tangy flavour of the mango powder.
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black salt
Directions for the Chaat Masala:
- Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. If some of the spices are seeds, you will need to grind them well.
Directions for the Yogurt Sauce and assembly:
- Whip the yogurt with a whisk until thin and runny (or if it’s Greek Yogurt, add a little milk),
- Add the cubed potatoes, chopped green chili, the chickpeas and a teaspoon or two of the tamarind and mix well (being careful not to break up the potatoes).
- Add the bite sized Papri (wafers) and mix gently to coat.
- Garnish with Coriander leaves and finely chopped green onions.
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Very interesting! I’ve never seen anything like this at our local Indian restaurant. Sounds delicious!
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Thank you Amber, it’s a delicious salad but requires a lot of work to create, worth it if you have time though.
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I know I say this all the time Eva, but your dinner parties just blow me away. You put so much energy into each detail. It’s so impressive. I’ve not had too much experience with Indian food, but I need to give it a try. We keep talking about it, but never quite seem to work our way around to it. That has to change…
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Damn, I’m feeling more and more inadequate by my one Indian-ish dish which I can cook quite well… shrimp korma. I’ve never heard of this one Eva… you’re coming up with some incredible looking, and sounding, stuff. As a huge fan of Indian cuisine I’m really sorry I couldn’t have been there to enjoy it all 😦 Maybe one day I’ll come to Canada and you can make me this feast? 😀
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Invitation is open, Charles, I’d be very pleased to cool an Indian feast for you!
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I love that you made your own spice. That’s the way to go…and great line up of these beautifully spiced dishes lately…now if only I could figure out a way to sneak in for a bite… =)
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How sweet SM, you needn’t sneak, but to be honest, it’s likely even more delicious that way 😉
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Not to sound like a broken record, but I am LOVING this Indian food kick you’re on.
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Thank you kindly Greg, it surely was a delicious meal.
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I adore Indian food (Thai, Indian, Mexican – 1, 2, 3 – in that order ;-)). I can’t believe you made your own wafers for the Aloo Papri Chaat – how impressive! The yogurt-mint chutney sounds nothing short of divine… I really want to make Khumb Matar one of these days (my favourite Indian dish) and you are inspiring me here Eva…seems to me that it may be worth the extra work! (well, maybe in the new year, December is rather hectic ;-)).
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Thank you kindly Kelly. I adore those cuisines too, but I’m not sure I could pick an order — there are too many flavours I love in each cuisine! I’m going to google your favourite Indian dish, our tastes are very similar and I’ve no doubt I would enjoy it.
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I’ve tried a version of this and it’s so interesting with the sauces on top of it etc 🙂 Thanks for the recipe Eva!
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You are most welcome Lorraine, I really enjoyed the flavours and textures; it made it difficult to stop at a small spoonful.
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I’ve never heard of this dish either. New Zealanders are very much stuck into their 1 or 2 Indian go-to dishes. I can never get my husband to try any new ones.
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That’s why the buffets are a good place for experimenting. You can always fill up on the old favourites, but there’s always something new to sample!
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I agree! Our eating in groups where you agree before you start to share everything and to get a range of dishes. Otherwise I’m always embarrassed when our table orders 6 butter chickens.
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And it’s expensive!
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I have a good Indian friend who happened to be an amazing cook. I never tried cooking Indian food on my own as I get invited to her home sometimes. I love Tangy and sweet flavor and I’d love to taste this dish. Never had this dish before but sounds amazing, Eva!
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Thank you kindly Nami, it did come very close to what I remembered the flavours from the restaurant to be.
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Tangy and sweet…I love the flavours. And it’s so interesting with crunchy wafers.
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Thanks Angie, yes indeed it is quite a flavour and texture experience.
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This is a dish that I’d never order from a menu unless I was sitting with an expert of Indian cuisine. I’m amazed that you not only order it but prepare it at home — for dinner guests, no less! That was some dinner party you hosted, Eva, but, then again, they all are. 🙂
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Thank you kindly John, you are always so very flattering. Going to an Indian Buffet with a knowledgeable person is a must and that way you can try many things to decide which ones hit your tastes. Years ago we went to lovely Indian restaurant downtown Chicago but I don’t think they are around anymore. We were the only one’s in the place (I know that can be weird but it wasn’t), the owner was there and was so proud of his food that he kept bringing us samples to taste. It was a lovely experience. If we make it down to Chicago in 2013, we’ll set up to meet at an Indian place, if you’re into it. Our Illinois friends just booked a flight to visit us in Toronto in January, so it’ll likely be in the summer!
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All of your Indian dishes sound good…one of my favorite cuisines. For some reason, you are not showing up in my reader. The last post from you that I saw was Dec. 1.
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Hi Karen, not sure why I’m not showing up in your reader, another blogger, Norma had some WordPress issues earlier this week so I’m wondering if it’s a software issue.
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This dish sounds so exotic. With so many steps involved, can this be made ahead of time?
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Thanks Norma, yes indeed it should be made ahead of time. My wafers turned out a bit hard, so I put them into the dish quite early in the day so they could get soft enough to eat, which they did.
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You really went all out for this dish as it seems quite elaborate though it sounds intriguing.
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Thanks Maria, it pretty well hit the taste I was looking for from what I can recall from the last time I had it in the restaurant.
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I’ve never tried this dish so I have no idea what it should be like but it sounds like I would enjoy it. I like the Indian dishes I’ve tried to cook so far but usually end up having the same few dishes again and again. I HAVE to be more adventurous in my cooking. No more tandoori chicken or butter chicken for me. That’s why your beef bhuna caught my eye. 🙂
Besides goat curry (which I love but have to eat by myself as my nephew doesn’t care for), I sometimes have the navratan korma or malai kofta. Unfortunately, the moderately priced restaurant we used to go to has closed down … the 3rd restaurant we used to frequent that’s now closed down after years. 😦
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Too bad about your go to places Maria, we’re lucky we have a lot to choose from in Toronto.
Your favourite dishes sound great (I just googled the recipes); from your reco’s and Kelly’s I think there could be another meal in the very near future! But then again, I’m just looking for an excuse to make that fabulous Naan again ;)!
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wow, this looks delicious! Very interesting with the wafers, have not heard of this side dish before. Mango powder is not easily available over here too, as this ingredient is hardly used by our local Indians here. Many months ago, I found the shop that sells this powder but apparently they have ran out of stock and I have not visited that shop since then, as it is quite a distance away. Your sub with pureed apricot is a brilliant idea!
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Thanks Joyce, I will keep my eye out for it, although it’s the first recipe I’ve seen that incorporates it. Thank you for your kind compliment.
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