The Chaat that touches your Heart

“Bhaiyya, Hame do Paani Puri”, “Annai yennuku rendu Chana Masala” are the usual
shouts of buzzing customers crowded around the Chaat walas, in every corner of the city.
Customers hover around these hand pulled carts, day in and day out and are literally
addicted to these spicy, mouth watering Delicacies which indeed are a fusion of both
spice and flavor. The Chaat walas are divided into two breeds (to be specific), the
moderate Shahi North Indian class and the spicy, Tongue burning South Indian ones.
Both these groups have their own custom made menu with some trade mark savouries
and snacks.

The North Indian Chaat wala offers a wide range of both hot-spicy and moderate-classy
foods. It Includes the:

1. The Samosa: A classy favorite and originally tabled out by the ‘Babus’ of the
north. A snack which consists of a ‘not that spicy’ mixed vegetable stuffing in a
conical wrap over of dough. It tastes heaven when eaten with hot Tomato or
Pudina sauce.

2. The Jalebi: A Snack even sweeter than honey, with a thin covering of Maida
Flour in fine proportion with a oozy, semi solid, sugary solution on the inside
spells ‘DeeeLICIOUS’ when it crumbles away in your already watering mouth.

3. The Shahi Badusha: Another delicacy for those with the sweet tooth. A sweet
soaked in sugar syrup and made of Maida Flour. It is ‘the most’ happening sweet
for some who prefer it to the Jalebi.

4. The Gulab Jamun: A Dough ball fried and then simmered in sugar solution for
hours, can be used for an explanation, but for describing the taste, ‘u need to taste
before u waste’ any more words on it.

5. The Chana Masala: A ‘class act’ indeed, if u are a ‘black gram lover’ that is. A
tangy, hot and spicy dish consisting of the black gram cooked and added to a
custom made (Aaaargh = spicy) masala.

And a whole lot of exuberant and happy dishes which due to lack of space we are
‘gulping’ down.

The south side Chaat master is indeed a stiff competitor to the ancestors of the
industry and have a variety of snacks and sweets in their menu list which are in fact
‘face variants’ of the already prominent ones. To jot down a few, we have:
1. The Vadai: A crunchy snack which has all the aspects of the south Indian
trademarked on it. It is simply Urad or Tuar Dal paste with slight additions of
green chilies and black pepper fried in hot oil. It has two variants 1. The Paripu
vadai and 2. The Medu vadai. The Paripu Vadai is made of Tuar Dal where as the
Medu Vadai is made of Urad Dal. Both taste superb when served just out of the
pan.

2. The Mushroom Masala: I for one would chuck out all the money in my pocket
for this hotty. For me and for many others this really is the king of all the south
Indian Chaat items and is a one hell of a dish which I can bet that u can’t get
anywhere else in India. Mushroom slits covered in crusts of gram flour and fried
and later added to the spiciest masala of all. It literally burns your whole mouth
down.

3. The Bajji: Another one of the south Indian snacks known for its originality and
for its impeccable taste. The snack simplified is just slices of raw banana fried
with an outer covering of gram flour. The snack comes with a wide range of
variants where the only differing content is the one on the inside. There is the
Vazhakka (raw Banana) Bajji, the Onion Bajji, the Potato Bajji, the Molaga
(Capsicum) Bajji and endless other list of innovations that people generally come
up with.

4. The Bonda: This snack is in fact the brother of the Vadai. It is simply Urad Dal
paste fried in oil. Other brothers of the Bonda include the one with the vegetable
stuffing on the inside and are proudly termed as the Urulakazhangu Bonda, the
Masala Bonda. It is in fact the south Indian counter part of the Samosa.

Chaat has been the only form of cuisine that has won the unanimous vote of the
public for long now, and their patrons the Chaat walas keep up the spirit of these
foods and live on as the sole proclaimer’s of the Chaat family. To end it all and to
describe it in a one liner, “U can part with your heart but not with the Chaat”.