What are the ingredients in aloo chaat?
Aloo chaat is a popular Indian street food primarily made from crispy fried potato cubes flavoured with ground spices and sweet-and-sour date and tamarind sauce, and finished with coriander leaves and crunchy pomegranate seeds.
What kind of potatoes should you use for aloo chaat?
You can use any potato, but floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward will result in crispy potato pieces with fluffy middles. Waxy potatoes will hold their shape well, but you won’t get the soft, fluffy interiors.
How to get crispy potatoes
Drain boiled potatoes thoroughly, then spread out on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, chill for 30 minutes before cooking – this will dry the surface and encourage crispiness when the potatoes are fried.
Make sure the oil is hot, but not extremely hot, when it’s time to fry the potatoes. If you have a thermometer, heat the oil to 180C. Otherwise, heat it until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns (but doesn’t burn) in 30 seconds. You can also use a deep-fat fryer set to 180C, if you have one.
If you don’t want to deep-fry the potatoes, drizzle them with vegetable oil, spread out in a single layer on a large baking tray and roast in the oven until crisp and golden.
A low-fat alternative is to use an air fryer, if you have one. Follow the user manual instructions, or use our recipe for air-fried chips as a guide to timings.
How to check if the potatoes are done
If you can easily push a fork into the potatoes, they’re cooked through. Then, during the frying stage, ensure they are crisp and golden on the outside.
Where can I find chaat masala?
Chaat masala has a tart, fruity flavour – it’s made with mango powder, black pepper, cumin and quarried black salt. It’s sold as a ready-made spice mix in south Asian grocery stores and large supermarkets, as well as online.
What can I use instead of date and tamarind sauce?
If you don’t want to make the date and tamarind sauce, serve the potatoes with lemon or lime wedges for a touch of sourness. You can also add a few raisins, some shavings of jaggery or a tiny pinch of light brown soft sugar for a hint of sweetness.
Can I make it in advance?
This is a dish that’s best served freshly cooked. If you want to get ahead, you can boil and chill the potatoes, prepare the onion and spice mix and make the date and tamarind sauce and coriander relish in advance. Then, all you have to do is cook the potatoes at the last minute. You can also fry the potatoes in advance if needed and reheat them in the oven before combining with all the other ingredients, but you’ll get the best results by frying them on the day you plan to serve them.
Can I freeze leftovers?
While best eaten fresh, there’s no harm in freezing leftover aloo chaat. But, you’ll need to do this without the coriander and pomegranate seed topping. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 until heated through and crisp. Leftovers will also keep covered in the fridge for up to three days.
More Indian-style potato dishes
Nutritious spinach is combined with potato and spices in this classic saag aloo.
Our spicy and moreish Bombay potatoes, made with chunks of juicy tomatoes, are easy to make.
Our Indian oven chips are spiced with turmeric, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds for a side dish inspired by flavours commonly used in Indian cooking.
Combine spicy potatoes with succulent salmon fillets in our spiced salmon with traybaked sag aloorecipe.
For more ideas for Indian-style side dishes, see our guide to the best side dishes to serve with a curry.
