Monday, May 29, 2017

1096. Indian Chickpea Aloo Salad


Aloo bhujia is the most incredible Indian snack I have only recently come to discover. It is sold in the chips aisle of the supermarket, and is cheaper than your average packet of Lays chips. It is a legume and potato mixture, mixed with various magical spices, formed into vermicelli and fried. Chaat masala is an Indian spice mix, of which the prime ingredients is dried mango. Mix these up in a chickpea salad and you've got yourself an exotic spicy and very moreish dish.
Actually the salad in the title is a misnomer, this is good enough to be an entire vegetarian meal on its own. Now the dressing is an entire story of its own: a mixture of tamarind paste and date molasses yields the most complex and taste bud enticing flavor. You have to try it to believe it.


Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 long green chili, sliced
1 cup chopped coriander
1 Tbsp chaat masala powder
1-2 lemon juice, to taste
1 tsp salt
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups aloo
6 Tbsp tamarind paste
3 Tbsp date molasses


Method:

Soak the chikpeas overnight. Boil the next day until tender, drain, set aside until cooled.
Mix the cooled and drained chickpeas with the chopped tomato, onion, chili, coriander, and powdered chaat masala. Add the lemon juice, salt, and olive oil, the toss to combine.
Soak the tamarind paste in a quarter cup of boiling water, stir to dissolve, then strain and discard any solids. Mix the tamarind paste with the date molasses, pour over the salad and toss to combine.
Put the salad in the serving dish, sprinkle with the crispy aloo, and serve immediately.

Note: the salad can be make days in advance without the addition of the aloo and reserved in the refrigerator. Add the aloo just before serving to preserve its crispiness.


صحة و عافية

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