Tokri Chaat Recipe (or Katori Chaat Recipe)
Tokri Chaat or Katori Chaat is a popular 'chaat' or street food of India. It is made with very attractive and delicious, crispy potato baskets, that can be filled with a variety of filling combinations. I have tried to make it healthy as well as tasty, but you can be more creative, and add or minus the ingredients of the filling, as per your liking. Here I have shared two ideas for making the filling.
Ingredients
- For the 'tokri'
- Potatoes - 3 medium size
- Salt - To taste
- For the filling (variation 1)
- Sprouted whole green gram (moong) - 1/2 cup, lightly steamed
- Potato - 1/2 cupboiled, peeled and cut into small cubes
- Red or yellow bell pepper - 1 small finely chopped
- Cucumber - 1 small, peeled and cut into small cubes
- Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
- Cilantro/Coriander leaves - small bunch, finely chopped
- Chaat masala - 2-3 tsp, or as per taste
- Black salt powder (Kala namak) - To taste
- Red chili powder - To taste
- Lime / lemon juice - 1 tbsp
- Sweet and Sour Tamarind Chutney - As needed
- Green coriander or mint chutney - As needed
- Plain yogurt (dahi) (optional) - As needed
- Thin sev (thin gram flour fritters) - As needed
- For the filling (variation2)
- Boiled chick peas - 1/2 cup
- Potato - 1/2 cup, boiled, peeled, and cut into small cubes
- Onion - 1 small
- Cilantro/Coriander leaves
- Lime / lemon juice - 1 tbsp
- Chaat masala - 2-3 tsp or as per liking
- Black salt powder (Kala namak) - To tatse
- Red chili powder - To tatse
- Sweet and Sour Tamarind Chutney - As needed
- Green coriander or mint chutney - As needed
- Plain yogurt (dahi) (optional) - As needed
- Thin sev - As needed
Instructions
For the 'Tokri' :
- Grate the potatoes into thick strands and soak them in water for 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer them to a colander to drain out all the water.
- Spread the potato strands on to a paper towel or a moisture absorbing cloth. Dab with another towel to remove most of the water.
- Sprinkle some salt on them.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Take a slotted spoon with a vertical handle similar to the one shown below.
- Line some of the potato strands all along the bottom and the walls of the slotted spoon.
- Gently keep another ladle (slotted or unslotted) on it, and press lightly to hold the strands in place.
- Lower the spoon and ladle combo in hot oil, till all the potato strands are fully immersed in oil.
- After a few seconds, when the potato strands are clinging to each other and are not loose, you can remove the ladle, and keep aside.
- Continue frying the potato strands in the slotted spoon, till they are golden brown on all sides.
- Raise the slotted spoon from the oil, and allow excess oil to flow back into the pan.
- Flip over the spoon and tap gently on a paper towel to release the potato basket or the 'tokri'.
- Repeat with all the portions of the grated potato to make 'tokris' or baskets. (You can always make bigger or smaller baskets depending on the size of your slotted spoon.)
For the filling (variation 1)
- Mix the steamed sprouted green gram, boiled potato cubes, yellow or red bell pepper chops, cucumber chops, onion, and chopped cilantro leaves in a mixing bowl.
- Add black salt, red chili powder, chaat masala, and lemon juice.
- Mix well and keep aside.
- Lightly beat the yogurt (optional), and keep aside.
For the filling (variation 2)
- Mix the boiled chick peas, boiled potato cubes, chopped onion, and cilantro leaves.
- Add black salt, red chili powder, chaat masala, and lemon juice.
- Mix well and keep aside.
- Lightly beat the yogurt (optional), and keep aside.
Final assembly (at the time of serving) :
- Place a few 'tokris' or potato baskets in a plate.
- To each basket add the filling, to fill it 3/4th.
- Add the sweet tamarind chutney, the green coriander chutney or green mint chutney (as much as you like), yogurt (optional), and thin sev, in the same order as mentioned here.
- Serve these yummy 'tokris' right away.
