Crispy Khasta Matar Chaat – A Must-Try Indian Street Snack!

Street food can be so tempting that it may loosen your self-control. Don't you look for some crispy, tangy flavors at a party before the main dish? And yes, who can deny that these quick meals are long-time buddies on trips! Are you lost? Are you thinking that yes, ''it happens to me?'' Then why not let's make one at home! Umm!
''Khasta matar chaat.''

No, it's not that khasta aloo, but a savor from my birthplace, Lucknow. However, the fact is, ''Khasta chaat has its roots in towns near my city, but now they are also rising in urban areas like mine.'' Many side stalls of chaat are common scenarios with a tempting smell. You can catch the crispiness just from the air, and the sauces are thick and creamy. People's love for chaat crowds the shop on usual days, so you have to wait for your turn. You may also look for luck even in the newly opened sometimes!
So, let's go to this Indian street food chaat!

Ingredients:

I cup all-purpose flour (maida)
2 cups semolina (suji)
2 tbsp oil (tel)

Stuffing: 1 cup boiled white peas (ubali matar), roasted coriander + cumin + red chilli powder (bhuna jeera + bhuna dhania + bhuna laal mirch powder)

Normal salt and black salt as per taste (safed aur kala namak)
Tamarind sauce (imli ki chatni)
chopped green chilli, green coriander, onion
(hari mirch, hari dhania, pyaaz)

How to Make Matar Chaat at Home?

Take two cups of semolina and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a bowl.

Add some lukewarm water to it in a quantity that makes your dough a little soft and loose. Keep it at rest for 15 minutes. After this time, pour some oil, around two tablespoons, to make it smoother.

Now stretch and fold the dough on your kitchen platform so that the air bubbles form in it. 

Cut small pieces of this dough as you do for a ''puri'' and give these a round shape and roll them to a medium thickness.

Each time you finish rolling, place the small puris on a wet, clean cloth. (I mean, wash that cloth and squeeze the water out).

Note: 

Heat the oil over a medium flame. When you drop the puri in with the wet side down, they'll turn out nice and crispy while staying fluffy! 

You may have seen that I haven't mentioned salt. It softens the dough by releasing moisture. So, you can add some to the oil while frying.

For tamarind chutney:

Take 200 grams of tamarind and soak it in water for 2 to 3 hours. Strain the pulp in a bowl.

Add three spoons of mango powder or aamchur powder. Now, add black salt and white salt to the pulp as per taste.

Add the spices, like roasted coriander, cumin, and red chili powder. To make the chutney thick, add cornflour to it.

Put on the gas flame and, while continuously stirring, add 1 cup jaggery and half a cup sugar. Now add nigella seeds (kalonji) and black pepper as per taste.

The main ingredient to make the chutney even more flavorful is dry ginger powder or sauth.
Add one big spoonful of it. (The spoon you eat food)

As this cutney catches thick texture, turn off the gas flame. Your chutney is ready!

For stuffing:

Soak white peas in water overnight. The next day, boil them in a pressure cooker with salt until they become soft and mushy.

Now add coriander, cumin, and red chilli powder according to taste. Cumin should be in smaller quantities. So keep in mind!

Just pour in as much imli chutney as you like and give it a good mix!

Now it's time to make your khasta!

So, poke the surface of the khasta puri and stuff it with the above mixture. Once again, pour creamy chutney over it.

The final step is to garnish the khasta matar chaat with chopped green chilli, green coriander, and onion. You can also add curd over the top with spices. 

Tada! You can have this on weekends.