CHAAT! The quintessential street food of INDIA. I haven’t met a person who didn’t like SOME sort of a chaat. There are so many variations but most chaats start with some sort of a base, think samosa, fried papri (similar to fried tortillas), or puffed rice. The base then gets topped off with vegetables, sauces, curries, chutneys, and sometimes more fried toppings like thin sev (also adding a nice crunch factor!)

I figured since sweet potatoes are extremely abundant this time of year, it would be a perfect substitution to the usual aloo tikka chaat and so I set out to make the recipe you see before you today.

Please note that I did not use orange colored “yams” or sweet potatoes for this recipe. Initially I did, but I found their consistency to be too watery and the tikkis did not hold well so because I love y’all so much, I re did the recipe using regular white sweet potatoes. They are nice and creamy and add just the right amount of sweetness. If you want, you could use half regular potato mixture as well.

The chutneys!! I included recipes for these for you guys but remember that if this seems like too big a task to make everything from scratch- buy some store bought chutneys! I won’t lie, I still get my mom to send me batches of homemade chutney even though she has taught me to make it myself ( because…why NOT?!) I have friends who have tried ready made chutneys  from the Indian grocery store that they were quite happy with, so remember there is nothing wrong with SEMI homemade 🙂 Check out the freezer section for great chutneys as well.

PREP TIPS: The chutneys can also be made a few days ahead of time and are great to just have on hand in general. I keep them frozen in ice cube trays and take them as I need them (this only goes for the tamarind date chutney and cilantro chutney – I do not freeze the yogurt chutney). Another tip is to use a pressure cooker to boil your potatoes- SO EASY (unless you’re terrified of pressure cookers lol). Basically, make as much as you can ahead of time.

Entertaining TIPS:

If you want to serve this for a large group:

  1. Keep the tikkis warm in the oven or out on a  counter on a plugged in griddle.
  2. OR lay them out on a large platter (these taste just as good at room temp or cold)
  3. Use pre filled and labeled squeeze bottles for your chutneys and let guests make their own chaat
  4. Leave all the garnishes out in different bowls so they can pick and choose what they like !

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe! It was a hit when I made it, and Im sure it will be the same for you!

 

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Sweet Potato Tikki Chaat

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

3 Sweet Potatoes, boiled & skins removed

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp fennel powder

1 tsp ginger (finely grated)

2 tsp green chilis, finely chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)

salt to taste

rice flour, as needed (optional) see NOTE.

Cilantro Chutney: 

Blend the following:

2 cups fresh cilantro chopped (stems included but not thick stems)

1/4 inch piece ginger

3 cloves garlic

4 green chilis (less for less spice)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp lime juice

pinch sugar

salt

Yogurt Chutney:

Whisk together the following ingredients:

1/2 cup yogurt, full fat

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp red chili powder

pinch salt

Quick Apple Butter Chutney (tastes similar to tamarind/date):

Combine the following:

1/2 cup Apple butter

1 teaspoon coriander & cumin powder (or 1/2 tsp of each)

1 teaspoon chili powder

6 tbsp water

Salt

Garnishes:

Chaat Masala

Thin Sev

Pomegranate arils

Diced Onions

Chopped Cilantro

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop the sweet potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Using a potato masher, or the back of a wooden spoon, mash the potatoes so they are smooth.
  2. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well (using your hands is best for this).
  3.  Heat a wide skillet or frying pan on medium high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
  4. Using lightly greased hands, take small amounts of the potato mixture and make them into mini patties about 1/4 inch thick, making sure they are evenly flat.
  5. Place the tikkis in the oil and brown on both sides (about 6-8 minutes) and remove to drain onto paper towels ( to soak up excess oil).
  6. Continue until all of the mixture is done. This will yield about 12 tikkis. Add more oil to the pan as needed.

Assemble the Chaat:

  1. In a shallow dish or bowl place the tikkis down first and drizzle them with all three of the chutneys (yogurt, cilantro and tamarind date).
  2. Top off with thin sev, freshly chopped cilantro, sprinkle of chaat masala, diced onions, and pomegranate arils (optional- but adds a great brightness to do the dish).

Serve immediately to prevent the tikkis from getting too soggy or freeze in single layers between wax paper to serve later.

Notes

Rice Flour: If you feel your tikkis are falling a part or you would like them crispier, add about 2 tablespoons of rice flour or gram flour to the potato mixture as this will help bind it together. I did not feel the need for it when I made it, but it is an option for you!

Courses Appetizer, Snacks, Lunch

Cuisine Indian