tamatar chaat trail in Banaras and recreating the recipe of tamatar chaat

I have made tamatar chaat earlier and have been wanting to make it again and again. Tamatar chaat or tamatari is a delicious chaat from Banaras that is said to be a secret recipe. The reality is that all the chaat walas of the city have their own versions and most of them taste great, although all of them are slightly different from each other. Isn't that interesting?

I had been planning to make my own version of tamatari for ages, it is after the tamatari trail in Banaras that I came back and made it at home too.

I have also been dreaming of a chaat party as we used to have in Banaras. A chaat party is an apt alternative to high tea in Banaras. Almost all chaat walas are into catering and most people have their own favourites too.

The chaat parties of Banaras would mean a couple of chaat walas doing the catering, cooking live chaats and serving gol gappas street style. There would be counters of tamatari, chiwda matar, dahi bade, tikki chaat and gol gappas and a few unique chaats the hosts would arrange for. Tokri chaat, chhole bhatoorey, samosa chaat, kachori subzi etc used to be the usual add ons. Mung ka halwa, gajar halwa, hot gulab jamuns and jalebis would be the standard 'live' desserts being churned out.

Oh now I am seriously craving for a chaat party.

The best alternative to a chaat party is to go on a chaat trail in banaras. And if you are like me you would go trailing one type of chaat in a day, cover as many destinations as possible, take notes and conclude the one you like the best. This is what we did last time we were in Banaras.

The first Tamatari joint we raided was the Banarasi Chat Bhandar at Sankatmochan turning. Incidentally this was the place where I had first tasted the Tamatari 2 decades ago. I know how he used to make the Tamatari in those days but he has adapted the recipe now to make it quicker to serve to the waiting customers.

Earlier he use to crush some ready alu tikkis with some red tomatoes lined up around the periphery of the huge tawa and mix a few more chutneys and spices to churn out a tangy hot and sweet tamatari. Now he brings a ready mix of tomatoes and potatoes with some peas and even cubes of paneer which he pours on the griddle and bhunoes it till the tomato mixture gets nicely caramelised.

Then he adds a rich rassa to the reduced tomato mix which has makhanas and nuts, a sprinkling of chopped onions, coriander leaves etc and it is ready to be relished. But mind you, this earthen kulhad of tangy sweet and hot concoction comes to you after a good deal of waiting as by the time he makes tamatari there is a sizable crowd around his cart.

This would be my favourite tamatar chaat for 2 reasons. One the tamatar chaat has a dominant taste of tomatoes and the tomatoes are so well caramelised. There are other places where the tamatari is tasty but the tomato drowns among the other ingredients used. The second reason for liking this tamatari is that you get to stand in open air and eat the chaat, the cart is in an open space and they have a shop just behind the cart where you can sit and eat too.

Waiting for tables and sitting in claustrophobic chaat shops can be tolerated ONLY when the chaat is superlative. The good thing is that there are superlative chaats in those chaat bhandars of Banaras of course.

The next Tamatari we tasted was at Kashi Chat Bhandar and it was a bit more spicy though quite delicious. A father and son sharing table with us had two serving of tamatari there along with a variety of other chaats. The chiwda matar and alu tikki at Kashi Chaat Bhandar is great but the tamatari needs a little more balance of flavours and a little more tomatoes in it.

We found Deena Chaat Bhandar's Tamatari quite nice. It was more tangy, the kind of tangy that comes from using desi tomatoes and the flavours were really well balanced. I am told Deena used to make better Tamatari a decade ago. I can understand that as even the Banarasi at Sankatmochan turning also used to make much better tamatari when I had eaten from his cart. Deena's tamatari is still one of the best.

All these places used to crush a few alu tikkis, then caramalise a few ripe tomatoes and mix a few more things on the go to make tamatari back then. Now they have just made it more convenient for themselves as a ready mix is easy and quick to serve.

Most of them have started adding small cubes of paneer, peas, more nuts and even dry yellow peas to the tamatari to make it more attractive. All of them have their signature versions of the tamatari chaat.

I miss the version we used to get earlier and guess what? I had a leisurely chat with the original owner of the Banarasi Chaat Bhandar at Sankatmochan turning and he told he can make the original version on order. You just tell him a day in advance and the next day he will make it for you. Now that is something I am going to do next time.

But then, after having all these tamatari versions I had to make it at home too. The recipe of tamatari has been shared earlier but here it is once again. Use desi tomatoes for best taste I recommend. Or mix a few varieties of tomatoes to get the best of of them.

Ingredients, recipe and instructions of tamatari or tamatar chaat can be seen here.

The final outcome is always delicious. At home I make it less oily but the taste is great anyways.

Have it hot.

And have it for a meal. All the nuts, ghee and khoya in the tamatari chaat makes it quite heavy and when you are cooking it at home you must enjoy a large portion. So keep the Tamatar chaat for dinner menus or smaller portions for chaat parties where you serve more chaats.

Date and ginger chutney with Tamarind | sonth imli ki chutney...

Sonth imli khajoor ki chutney to be precise. This is a sweet sticky gooey chutney that looks like jam or a fruit preserve. Packed with all the sweet and hot and a little savory and a lot of tangy flavors. All wrapped in one lick of the spoon.

 A complex flavor imparted by an earthy yet tingling kick of dry ginger powder, hot red chilly powder balanced by those juicy bits of dates and a slurry like tamarind jelly. This chutney is used as a condiment with meals or as a topping for many popular chaats. With Dahi vade, with dahi wale gol gappe or with samose..this chutney picks up any snack or meal to a new level.

Here is a dahi vada chaat with this chutney on top and some chopped coriander greens and a few crushed potato chips..It can't get any better.

The recipe is pretty simple and the chutney keeps well in the fridge for about six months. So it is a nice recipe to have in your repertoire. I am sure you have at least one recipe of a tamarind chutney with either dates, Aam papad or even Raisins or Apples. Or Pineapples.

The fruit can be of your choice and the consistency also keeps changing according to the main meal you want to serve it with.

This one is a traditional flavor from UP and goes well with all kinds of chaat.

ingredients...

tamarind 50 gm (seedless sticky tamarind)
Or same amount of tamarind paste from a packet
dates chopped finely 50 gm
jaggery 25 gm or to taste
red chilly powder 1 tsp
dry ginger powder (sonth) 1 tsp Or fresh ginger paste 1 tbsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp (I use this special garam masala, it can be a powder of Laung, Elaichi, Daalchini otherwise, including both kinds of cardamoms all in equal amounts)
salt to taste (1/2 tsp is enough as the chutney is not too salty, adjust salt after the chutney is done)

procedure...

Soak the tamarind in 100 ml water and boil or MW for 2 minutes. Let it cool and mash the pulp and strain the gel like pulp. Discard the solids. You may like to add 50 ml water again to the solids and repeat the process to extract some more thinner tamarind pulp from it. Mix both the filtrates together.

Add the chopped dates and all the other ingredients and boil or microwave the mixture together till it becomes a jelly like consistency. You might like it thinner so stop cooking when your kind of consistency is reached. Thicker chutney lasts longer.

Use as required and refrigerate in an airtight container.

Tamatar ki meethi chutney being an all time favorite, this one comes a close second. It is dangerously addictive as you would want to keep dipping the spoon and licking it.

tamatar ki chaat | the famous tamatari chaat of Banaras and some pictures from dilli haat..

I know I know many of you are waiting for the tamatar ki chaat as I promised. A stupid dengue (the simple kind thankfully) was keeping me from making this wonderful chaat. After a week of khichri, soup and sandwich kinda food I am back to my pleasures of cooking.

Red luscious tomatoes were waiting to be pulped, mashed and thrashed into a flavorful chaat which reminds me of my just married days. Yes it was during our dating days and after the wedding that Arvind introduced me to the varied chaats of Banaras otherwise I would have been deprived of this heaven.

On one of the occasions when we ate this tamatar ki chaat at the Sankat mochan mod (the turn towards sankat mochan mandir in banaras) I watched the chaat wala pulping the tomatoes and mixing ingredients to make a yummy dona (a serving dish made out of leaves) of this tamatari (it's also called tamatari or just tamatar), came back home and made an exact version of home made tamatari. This time I guess I made it after years, although I have been planning to make it for a long time. Not only because I had a few people requesting for it, also because whenever I ate this tamatari in the past couple of years in banaras, I found to my utter disgust that it has transformed a lot, read deteriorated.

It has got commercialized I guess. Yes, believe me the tamatar ki chaat in those days (12 years ago) was much simpler and more tasteful. The thelawala would mash a couple of already roasting tikkis with a couple of tomatoes on the giant tawa, mix some chutneys, sprinkle some tidbits and serve you the most simple looking yet uniquely flavored chaat, with a rich flavor of tomatoes, you would inevitably end up asking for one more helping.

Whenever I find this chaat here in Delhi, being showcased in those street food festivals, the tamatar ki chaat is displayed separately on a smaller tawa, giving an impression like pav bhaji, a separate pot of gravy waiting to be ladled into the tomato pulp, some dalda (hydrogenated vegetable fat) is ladled into the mix to make it tastier as they claim (I actually asked them), resulting into a thick layer of 'ghee' floating over the chaat and to top it all, now a days it is served in plastic or styrofoam bowls. Enough reasons for me to feel disgusted ...

The Dilli Haat experience of this tamatar chaat was better this time, taste wise (we could ignore the fat layer of dalda floating )...see how it is labeled as tamatar...

The pulped up tomatoes and other ingredients (they had some peas too) are cooking on the tawa and the gravy as they call it (made with khoya, dry fruits and spices  with a thick layer of dalda as you can see...

 And here is the plate of tamatari for us to dig into...

 On the display (as you see here) it looks like the bhaji of the pav bhaji combo, as it is a mashed chaat and is cooked on a tawa. But the similarity ends here as this a completely different flavor, rich tomato, some dry fruits and some khoya and and lot more subtle flavours.

And it is a standalone chaat, no bread or pav or papdi is added, just some miniature namak paare, we like some finely chopped onions and you are set. This is my home made plate of tamatar ki chaat...

I had to make the miniature namak paare first, store bought namak paare can be used but I did not have any and as I did not have any maida too, I made them with whole wheat flour.

3 tbsp of whole wheat flour 2 tsp of lemon juice , 1 tsp of oil and salt to taste  ...
a stiff dough was made using a little water , rolled out on the chakla ( rolling board ) cut in miniature squares and deep fried on medium heat ....

other ingredients to start with...
( serves two hungry souls )
potatoes medium sized 2 nos. ( boiled and peeled )
fully ripe large juicy tomatoes 4 nos.( the best quality you can lay your hands on )
cashew chopped 2 tbsp
raisins 20 nos.
makhane( lotus seeds ) 10-12 nos.
green chillies finely chopped 1 tbsp
ginger finely chopped 1.5 tbsp
red chilly powder 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
garam masala powder 1 tsp ( i used my homemade one which is a mix of black n green cardamom , cinnamon, kababchini , shahjeera , cloves , star anise and nutmeg )
milk powder 2 tbsp ( use khoya if available , same quantity )
ghee 2 tbsp ( i used less , you can feel free to be like the chaat walas )
Imli ki sonth wali chutny 2 tbsp ( if you don't have this chutny , use a tbsp of thick tamarind pulp , 1/2 tsp of dry ginger powder and 2 tsp of sugar at the indicated time )
lemon juice 2 tsp
finely chopped onions for garnish ( optional )
finely chopped green coriander leaves ( i did not have and am not using them raw in this season either)

procedure...

I used an iron kadai for that taste of chaatwalas (otherwise too I prefer cooking in iron or cast iron kadais)..

Chop the tomatoes in small cubes and keep aside.

Mix the milk powder , garam masala powder and red chilly powder with a tbsp or two of water to make a pasteand keep aside. This step is not required if using khoya.

Mash the potatoes, add salt to taste and 1 tsp of black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp of green chillies and 1/2 tsp of chopped ginger. Mix well and shape a large tikki with the mash. Keep aside.

Heat a tbsp of ghee in the kadai and throw in 1/2 tbsp of green chillies, 1 tbsp of chopped ginger and the dry fruits, fry for a minute ....and then add the milk powder mix to the frying mixture... If using khoya, add the khoya, garam masala n red chilly powder now...

Fry till the mixture changes color and is almost dry , add 1/2 cup of water and boil to get a brownish gravy...reserve the gravy into a bowl....

Now in the same kadai , add another tbsp of ghee and place the largish potao tikki to let it brown on one side, flip when browned .... this step I have incorporated because i saw the chaat wala make it this way when I first ate it . And the browning of the alu tikki this way ensures a very unique earthy, smoky chaat flavor to the tamatari....

Now cover the frying tikki with chopped tomatoes and cover to cook for a while, slide the flat ladle under the tikki beneath and flip so that the tikki comes on top and the tomatoes are getting roasted in direct contact with the iron kadai... the potato tikki is nicely browned on both sides and you will get it's flavor in the finished chaat....

Mix and smash the tikki now and fry the mixture thrashing the tomatoes to make a smooth yet textured chaat ....Takes about 2-3 minutes ..

Now is the time to add the gravy , and the imli ki chutny (or use the substitutes instead) and lemon juice (optional)... mix it again and fry for another minute mixing it like a pro....this is the time you will start getting that tamatar ki chaat aroma........

Empty the contents into a steel dish (for that desi feel) , garnish with the miniature namak paare, green coriander if using and as we like it here , some chopped onions .........

As I told you the chaat will be a different flavor from any of the chaats you have ever tried, the nuts stand out, the raisins are just too good when they come in a mouthful. It is a hot-sweet-sour and savory chaat where a rich taste of tomatoes is accentuated by tamarind chutny with a very mild hint of khoya (if you know it's added , otherwise it just adds richness) We added some more of those namak paare while eating and got transported to the good old days.........

Last but not the least, a picture of the folk dancers performing at the Dilli Haat entrace ...

Enjoy the chaat and the Dilli haat as we saw it.....

I did not click any more pictures as we had decided to visit the haat just to try out the new metro line on that route ... ooh it's so convenient now to get there and I loved the underground exit leading towards the INA market. They have displayed beautiful traditional textile crafts of different states.. worth watching .....

samose....VT waale

what do you like in a samosa??
the outer pastry or the inner aaloo stuffing.....or both....

i remember the college days when i actually started having samosas.....we were not allowed any outside food in our childhood and samosas were a rare sight in our house........the college canteen served the yummiest samosas i had tasted till then.........and then when i joined the Department of Botany in BHU , i was introduced to the samosas made by the VT guys ( anybody from Banaras would know what i am talking about....VT is the Vishvanath temple inside the university campus and there are many snacks shops there....bihari ka samosa is phenomenal).....

whenever we got there for tea....samosas were a natural accompaniment....though sometimes we settled for the crispy patties, idlis or vadas or even dosas....but samosa was an all time favorite........while the guys ( n most gals too) were busy gossiping or may be preening themselves, i used to watch how the samosa wala guys rolled the samosa pastry, made the masala, stuffed it n fried it........they used to sprinkle black salt over the samosas as soon as the samosas were out of oil.......i am drooling right now.......i got my samosa lessons from there...day after day.......fo almost 7 yrs......yes i did my PG and research and learn samosas on the side....lolz.......

but.......i had never tried making samosas at home till i got married....( though i used to cook earlier)........i knew that Arvind is also brought up on those yummy samosas ( he is born n brought up in the same campus) and he'd like it....made it for the first time n it turned out perfect.........after that , whenever we wanted to have samosas i made them at home n we were never able to appreciate any other samosa..

as time passed ( now after 10 yrs)...we started avoiding fried food but i still make this samosa ....the pastry is a little less crispy cuz i use less ghee for shortening now.....but the taste remains the same.......as both of us like the inner aaloo stuffing more..........lolz..........so if you like the outer pastry more ...you know what you need to do...add more shortening to the pastry dough n you'll get crispy shell which breaks as you hold it to your mouth.....aaah....


so the ingredients...as i watched all those years ..are.......

for the outer shell (pastry)
maida or all purpose flour 200 gm( i make thin shell of the samosa, if you like a thicker shell, you may need more maida)
salt to taste
ajwain seeds 1/2 tsp
ghee 1 tbsp or more if you like crisp shell
water to make a stiff dough

for the stuffing
potatoes boiled , peeled and cubed ..about 1 1/2 cup
mustard oil 1 tsp
asafoetida 1 pinch
methi seeds ( fenugreek seeds) 1 tsp...you can omit this if you don't like bitter
cumin seeds 1 tsp
red chilly powder 1 tsp or more
turmeric powder 1 tsp
coriander powder 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1/2 tsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
amchoor powder 1 tsp
salt to taste

oil to fry

procedure

heat oil in a pan and throw in asafoetida , methi n cumin seeds in that order...let them splutter and then throw in the powder masalas quickly n stir with a tbsp of water to prevent burning.....add the cubed potatoes and mix well ...cooking while mashing the potatoes....add salt and amchoor powder n it's ready within 2-3 minutes.

now take out lemon sized balls from the dough....i make smaller samosas so that they need less oil in the kadhai to be fried...( i avoid reused oil so it's better to use minimal oil while frying every time).......roll it into a circle...cut to make 2 semicircles.....make cone from each semicircle and fill the cooled aaloo filling in each cone and seal with a moist hand.........make all the samosas like this .......the filling may be more or little ..as you like it....i like more filling in each samosa.......


fry the samosas in medium hot oil for the first 3-4 minutes...turning them now n then............and finally on very low flame till they get crispy........it takes about 15 minutes on low flame n this is the secret of crisp samosas even if you use less shortening in the pastry dough........( tip of the day)..

drain.....and don't wait......

and don't forget to sprinkle kaala namak n a green chutny....or no chutny...doesn't matter.

enjoy with garam chai.........masale wali....

wanna have it now.......

bharwa tamatar bonde or 'tamatar chop'

This recipe of tamatar bonda has a special story associated with it. When I was a research scholar at the department of botany at Banaras Hindu University, in the mid nineties there was a chaiwala at the 'botany crossing'. Usually he used to make samosas and chai , but whenever there was a rain he would always make this 'tamatar chop' as he would call it, and we friends (including now my husband Arvind) used to rush to the shop, as the bondas would disappear fast they were in such high demand. They used to be straight out of the kadhai very very hot and I remember the way we used to dig into the soft tomatoes, so hot to handle that often somebody would get a scalded tongue..

Eating those tamatar chops in the rain is still a nostalgia inducing memory and even now when it rains we both remember that and I have to get going. Food always brings sweet memories.


see how the tamatar bonda a chop gets going when you want it...

Microwave 2 large potatoes and till they are cooling to be peeled, scoop the flesh out of 4 large tomatoes......like this......

Chop an onion, few green chillies, 2 springs of coriander leaves and a bit of a ginger root finely. Peel the potatoes, which must be cool enough to handle by now. Mash it and mix with the chopped ingredients. Mix in salt n pepper to taste.......some chaat masala too if the tomatoes are not sour.......

Now stuff this potato mix into the hollow tomatoes and keep aside.........

Heat oil in a deep pan to deep fry these bondas and till the oil gets hot, make a besan batter for dipping the bondas.

For the batter, take 3/4 cup of besan into a bowl and throw in salt n pepper to taste.......
a tbsp of ginger garlic paste, a tsp of haldi, now pour water slowly to make a thick coating batter......

Now dip each stuffed tomato into the batter and dip into the pan to deep fry, turning it to let it fry evenly.

Serve hot with a chutney of your choice. Normally I make a chutney with the scooped out tomato flesh with some coriander leaves but this time being quick  served it with a preserved (pickled) green garlic chutney which tasted awesome with it.

And this is the inside view, the cross section of the tamatar bonda...

For making the process easier, you can halve the tomatoes , scoop out the flesh and fill the potato mix to make a round shape, dip into the batter and fry in the same manner........see how it looks...

Eat it hot to make my phone pictres worth.....with or without chutney.........

some more street food | chooda matar of Banaras...

Chooda matar or chiwda matar is basically a Banaras version of pohe. A winter treat with fresh green peas and the new crop of paddy made into flattened rice that is called Chiwda or chooda in the region is concocted into a spicy warm breakfast that I believe is the best cereal breakfast ever. Warm, savory and refreshing flavors of winters. Chooda matar is very much a homely dish, taken up well by some street food joints (chaat bhandars)in the city as well. I remember Kashi chaat bhandar for it's chooda matar that is literally soaked in ghee, but very warming flavors of garam masala coming through. I liked this combination of sweet green peas, hot garam masala and aromatic ghee in this dish.

Though I was not a street food lover as a youngster, somehow in my research days got hooked to the various snacks available in the famous joints there, the Kashi chat bhandar at godolia, the Monga's, the Ayyar's cafe, and not to forget the chatwala at sankat mochan mor, or the kulfi faluda and lassi of the Bansfatak area where I used to go with madam, Dr Maya Goyle (my research guide)...............so many things to be nostalgic about..........

This garam masala, milk and ghee laden chooda matar is miles away from the aalu poha or kanda poha of Maharashtra, it is available in the winters in all the chaat bhandars of the city and is loaded with desi ghee. I make it lighter at home and according to my taste buds, as a favorite winter breakfast on weekends or an evening tea accompaniment on weekdays, but we have to skip dinner after that. It is a full meal when you have a large portion. Just like a tehri or pulav.

Good quality pohe or chiwra is essential for making chooda matar, Basmati or Govidbhog chiwra makes the best. I remember when we were in Dhanbad, the fragrant Govindbhog chiwra was available there, a short grained rice made flatten rice in the season, that was the ultimate for chiwda matar. Here in Delhi I make it with Basmati chiwda and it turns out good.

                                              chiwra matar

ingredients

thick variety of chiwra/pohe/flattened rice flakes 1.5 cup
peas 2 cup
cumin seds/sabut jeera 2 tsp
ginger 2 inch piece, finely chopped
green chillies 4 finely chopped
green coriander 1 cup, finely chopped, stems and leaves separated
lemon juice 3 tbsp/lime juice 1 tbsp or to taste
sugar 1-2 tsp depending on how fresh are the peas
black pepper powder 1 tsp
garam masala powder 1.5 tsp[without coriander powder]
salt to taste
milk 1/2 cup
cream 1/2 cup[optional]
ghee 2 tbsp

preparation

Rinse the chiwra through a strainer, drain well and soak in milk and cream for 10 minutes [less if it is finer].

Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin/jeera into it, add in the ginger and green chilies when the jeera crackles,after a few seconds add in the powder masalas. Stir and immediately add in the peas with sugar and salt, stir, add the coriander stems and add 1/2 cup of water and cook covered on medium heat until the peas are done. Open the pan, there should be still some water left, add in the soaked chiwda and mix well, fluffing it up.

I sometimes add the finely chopped stems of coriander leaves at this stage n after mixing cook it covered on low flame for 3-4 minutes. This collage shows all the steps in the making of chooda matar.

Add the coriander leaves and lime juice..mix well and serve garnished with fried dry fruits, which I seldom do. You would see loads of raisins and fried cashews in the chaat bhandar versions, at home we like the green peas shining more in our chooda matar.

It is loaded with a strong aroma of green coriander and garam masala, There is heat owing to a lot of ginger, black pepper powder and green chilies too, balanced by lime juice if you use. I avoid lime juice mostly as I like the stems of coriander greens to impart their earthy citrusy flavor more.

Truly a winter food. Have it with a hot mug of masala chai and your day is bliss.

Just dig in...