Today, I will take you to the street food of Delhi. Yes, I am talking about our beloved & mouth watering Chaat!
Chaat word came from the verb “chatna” which means to lick. Chaat are so loved by people that they would even lick their finger. Maybe it came from the famous proverb “ungli tak chat lena” (to find the food to be very delicious). On the way, we could easily find these tempting Chaat on every corner. When someone of you are visiting Delhi (New Delhi/Old Delhi) and find the chaat’s stall or shops, don’t hold yourself back to savor these chaat.

I will discuss some of the most popular street chaat in this post. Please note that this post does not include the other street food that we take as the replacement for the meal or over a cup of Tea/Coffee. I will cover those in the coming posts.

1. Aloo Tikki

Aloo Tikki is the most famous from the chaat group for Delhlites. It is made of boiled aloo (potatoes) which are fried to make small tikki (cutlet or croquette) . It is usually served hot with imli (tamarind) chutney (sauce), hari (green) mango/mint chutney and dahi (yoghut), all are mixed together with the cutlets in small donna (bowl) or plate.

2. Dahi Bhalle

Dahi Bhalle (singular, Bhalla) is a popular chaat item in Delhi and all over India which is available at many street chaat stalls or shops. Bhalla is black gram or black lentil or green bean dumplings which are deep fried to make the cutlet. These cultet is then garnished with dahi (yogurt), saunth chutney (dried ginger and tamarind chutney) and spices. Dahi Bhalle is usually served cold unlike the Aloo Tikki.

3. Gol Gappe/Pani Ke Patase/Pani Puri

Gol Gappe (singular, Gappa), came from two word Gol (round) and Gappa (a food portion taken in mouth at once). It comprises a round, hollow fried crisp Puri (small) and filled with a mixture of water (cold) from tamarind chutney, mint chutney, Chaat masala and it is served with small cubes of boiled potato, onion and boiled chickpeas. It is small enough to fit completely in one’s mouth. Customers hold a small plate and stand around the server’s chaat stall. The server then starts making one Gol Gappa at a time and gives one to each individual.

4. Chaat Papdi

Chaat Papdi is another favourite from chaat group which is made of crisp deep fried wafers made from refined white flour. In Chaat Papdi, the papdi are served with boiled potatoes, boiled chick peas, chili pepper, yogurt and tamarind chutney. It is often topped with chaat masala. It can be served hot or cold though many people prefer them to be served cold.