Hit Me with your Best Chaat

Let's start with an easy treat. Chaat roughly translates into "snack" and usually refers to a mixture of various ingredients on a small plate. The ingredients vary from region to region but often feature crispy chips, chutneys and yogurt. Chaat is a treasured treat throughout India where it is sold in small chaathouses or from street vendors. The popularity of chaat has crossed oceans - numerous chaathouses have recently sprung up around the Bay Area and in NY and they can barely keep up with demand.

My family's perfected (read: easiest and therefore most American) chaat recipe is below. This type of chaat hails from Northern India and is referred to as Papri Chaat. We love it so much we eat is as a meal.

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Ingredients
6 medium-sized red potatoes
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can drained chickpeas
4 Tbsp chopped onions
4 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp ground cumin seeds, preferably roasted
Plain, non-fat yogurt
Juice from one lemon
Hot chili peppers cut-up, if desired
Salt and pepper to taste

Items needed from Indian grocery store:
1 Tbsp Chaat Masala
Tamarind and coriander chutney
Papadi brand chickpea flour chips (could also just use Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips from any grocery)

Steps
1. Mix the chat masala and 1/3 cup cold water in a small bowl
2. Completely submerge potatoes (with skin) in water. Boil (will take approx. 20-30 mins). Drain and peel.
3. Cut potatoes into small cubes. Place in glass bowl. While still warm, pour masala and water mixture over them. Mix potatoes gently and set aside for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander, ground cumin, and lemon juice to the potato mixture. Stir and refrigerate until ready to eat.
5. Thin yogurt with water in a separate bowl until it has a slightly runny consistency. Refrigerate.
6. When ready to eat, assemble one plate per person in the following way: layer plate with chips, then add potato mixture, chickpeas, thinned yogurt, onions, hot peppers, salt, pepper and chutneys (if chutneys seem too thick, thin with water first).
7. Stir and serve!

Serves 4 if you are oinkers like us. Otherwise serves more