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Chaat Bites
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Chaat Bites

Who doesn't like chaat? I think the Indian chaat is loved universally these days. It's a great appetizer and one that's bound to get those taste buds jumpin' for more. Chaat is a great all-weather appetizer too. The spices make it perfect for that rainy/cold day and the freshness makes it perfect for a hot summer's day as well. However, chaat - be it bhel puri, aloo chaat, dahi batata puri etc., served up in the traditional way can get messy and it's not easy to serve as an appetizer, especially to large party crowds. When made ahead of time, it can get soggy too.
Appetizers are typically finger foods that are easy to pick up and eat while waiting for the main course. So I decided to come up with an appetizer that has all the flavors of a traditional chaat and at the same time has the convenience of being able to be made ahead of time and is also a finger food. After some thinking, I came up with these yummy Chaat Bites - a crowd pleaser for sure!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Cup Potatoes boiled and mashed
  • 1/2 Chickpeas - can drained or 1/2 cup after soaking overnight
  • 1 small Tomato (chopped)
  • 3 tsp  Chaat masala
  • 1-2 tsp  Red chili powder
  • 2 tsp  Chole masala
  • 1 tbsp  Greek yogurt (if you don't have greek yogurt, take regular plain yogurt in a thin muslin cloth, tie the ends and hang it overnight in the refrigerator to drain out the liquid)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Cup Fine Sev

For Date/Tamarind (Red) chutney:

  • 5 dates
  • 1 tbsp  tamarind paste
  • 1 tbsp of jaggery
  • 1 tsp black salt
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 1/4 cup of water

For Mint/Cilantro (Green) chutney:

  • 2 cups Mint leaves (washed)
  • 1 cup Cilantro leaves (washed)
  • 2-3 green chilies
  • salt to taste
  • pinch of jaggery
  • 2-3 tbsp of water

Instructions

Method

  • Take the chickpeas in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tsp chaat masala, chopped tomato, chole masala, salt to taste (chaat masala already has salt), 2tbsp water. Microwave covered on high for 5 minutes. Remove and mash with fork or pulse couple times in the blender to get a course and chunky paste.
  • Take the above paste in a big bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except the chutneys and the sev.
  • Now add about 2 tsp of red chutney and 2tsp of green chutney.
  • Mix all ingredients well using a spatula or clean hands to form a big ball like dough. Should be able to make small balls.
  • Now take about lemon sized chunks of the mixture and shape into balls.
  • Place the balls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 7-8mins. This step is entirely optional. The baking only adds some crispiness to the texture and enhances some flavors but the since all ingredients are already cooked, this step can be skipped.
  • Now in another deep bowl combine 1/2 cup of red chutney and 1/2 cup of green chutney and mix well.
  • Take the 1cup of fine sev in a shallow dish.
  • Now take one ball and dip it in the chutney mixture to coat it evenly and then roll it in the sev until the sev sticks to it all around. You just made your first chaat bite!
  • Carefully place it on the serving dish. Repeat with all other balls and serve the chaat bites along with the remaining chutney.

For Date/Tamarind (Red) chutney:

  • Combines all ingredients into a pan.
  • Heat on medium until water starts to boil and the dates soften.
  • Then put it in a blender and blend to smooth chutney.

For Mint/Cilantro (Green) chutney:

  • In a blender combine all ingredients.
  • Blend to a smooth paste.
  • Then squeeze the juice of half a lime.