Since I discovered food blogs, just a few short months ago, I have been obsessively blog hopping and enjoying, in particular the wonderful ‘events’ that are hosted throughout the blogging community.

I have followed Margaret Roach’s blogs for a while,  as my interests in food and gardening intersect at her ‘A way to garden’. I‘ve been meaning to participate in her summer fest, but was not ready as I was still trying to navigate the travails of blogging.

Now having taken a few baby steps I am feeling a little bit more confidant and am happy to be contemplating recipes ahead of ‘Potato’ week. Hmmm,,,, maybe I’ll even develop a recipe with all the ingredients  that have been featured until now …… That should be a lot of fun.

Only using  Cucumber, Corn, Cilantro [herb], Dates [stone fruit], Tomatoes, Tabasco pepper, Garlic and Potatoes, I’ll attempt a variation of the popular Indian street food called Chaat.

So what is a “Chaat”? It is an Indian snack/ salad/ street food/ appetizer. Potatoes are generally the back bone of a this dish. A whole host of vegetables and fruits can be added to a Chaat which is then drizzled with a sweet and a spicy, tart sauce and then liberally sprinkled with Chaat Masala. Chickpeas, mung sprouts, puffed rice, peanuts, fried lentil fritters and a number of interesting things can also make their way into a Chaat.

Here is my ‘Summer Fest Chaat’

No measurements required for the vegetables as you can combine them any way you want and any amount you want.

The Veggies

Cucumbers, cut into ½ inch dice

Corn on the cob roasted over a fire like so

and cut into ½ inch rounds, with salt rubbed over them.

Tomatoes, green/red or a combination cut into ½ inch dice

Potatoes [boiled, peeled and cut into ½ inch]. Shallow fry the potatoes to a golden brown like so

 and season with salt.

For The Sweet and Tart Chutney

½ a cup of green tomatoes with a blush of ripeness [tart]

¼ cup of cilantro, packed tight

2 pitted medjool dates [sweet]

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

1 tabasco pepper.

¼ tsp salt

Blend everything. You can add a little water if you want it a little runny.

Chilli powder [optional]

Assemble

your veggies and drizzle the chutney, lightly toss. sprinkle chilli powder. Dig in.

FOOD NOTES

  • With the corn, I was totally taking liberties as I ‘ve never seen them in a Chaat. However roasted corn rubbed over with a lemon and sprinkled with “masala’  is a very popular road side fare.
  • I used a Tabasco pepper as I grow it in my garden. You can use a milder pepper.
  • When using green tomatoes, it is better to use ones that have just started to ripen because you could go wrong with the unripe ones as they can  have a sharp acidic taste.
  • Normally there are several chutneys at the stall but my challenge was to create a recipe with the just a few ingredients so I just made the one.
  • Feel free to add whatever veggie or fruit takes your fancy.
  • The chutney will also make a great spread.
  • Chaat is usually served in a recepticle made out of dried leaves stitched together and a tooth pick which stands in for a fork.