The famous Lucknow Matar Ki Chaat gets a makeover with hasselback potatoes. Usually, the flavourful matar (spicy peas) is served on an aloo tikki, or mashed potato patties fried until crispy. Here we have hasselback-style potatoes with all the lip-smacking ingredients matar ki chaat is famous for. The hasselback potatoes are a real time saver. Topped with hot, spicy peas, South Ki chutney, coriander chutney, sev and pomegranate, they offer a perfect balance of texture and flavour, making them a hit on any occasion. Elegant enough for entertaining, yet easy for everyday cooking.
What is Chaat? The Heart of Indian Street Food
Indian street food culture is popular among people of all ages, from young to old. Chaat is in a league of its own. Indeed, the word chaat comes from Hindi chaatna, meaning "to lick", reflecting its layers of textures, flavours and contrasts, so that when you put it in your mouth, there is an explosion of taste sensations. Chaat brings together a crispy base, cooling yoghurt, tangy chutneys and a medley of spices. It's a full-on sensory experience. Chaat is one of India's most beloved expressions of snacking!
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Key Ingredients & Notes
Think of this dish in two acts: First, the savoury base of potato and peas; then the grand finale of chutneys, herbs and crunch. Together, the perfect bite!
For the Matar - Potato Base
- Baby potatoes & white/yellow peas: The classic chaat base of aloo and peas. They carry all the other flavours and add texture.
- Baking Soda: Helps the peas cook faster by breaking down the outer skin.
- Olive Oil
- Ginger
- Green chilli: Gives a kick on the palate.
- Cumin seeds and Asafoetida: These are tempering spices and give the chaat its distinct aroma.
- Tamarind, Kala namak (black salt): These ingredients add a sour note, typical of chaat.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavours naturally.
- Fresh coriander: Adds freshness and colour
For the Garnish and Final Assembly
- Coriander Chutney: This adds herby brightness and a touch of heat. Please see my coriander chutney recipe to make your own.
- South Ki Chutney: Gives a sour contrast. You can make your own South Ki Chutney with my recipe.
- Yoghurt: Cools the spices and mellows the heat.
- Chaat masala: Makes the chaat taste "chaat-like" .Made with anchor and kala namak. It is tangy, salty and slightly smoky.
- Pomegranate: These little flavour bombs add a sweet burst when bitten into and add a vivid colour.
- Fresh coriander: This adds a herbal note to the taste.
- Sev: Gives crunch and texture.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step Photos
The first step is to soak the white or yellow peas overnight.
- Wash and pat dry the potatoes.
- Slice the very bottom of the potatoes to create a flat surface so they do not roll over.
- Then cut slices into the potatoes 1.5 to 2mm apart, but do not slice all the way through.
- Then, place the potatoes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them. Season them with salt and drizzle with olive oil.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan-assisted) and bake the potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
- While the potatoes are baking, rinse the overnight-soaked peas and transfer them to a pot. Add water and the baking soda, and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the peas are cooked and tender.
- Finely chop the ginger and green chillies. Roughly chop the coriander leaves.
- Soak the tamarind in hot water, then press it through a sieve to extract the pulp. Pass through the sieve one more time.
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida and allow them to bloom for a few seconds.
- Next, add the chopped ginger, followed by the green chillies, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked, drained peas.
- Then add the Karla namak and coriander powder. Mix thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the tamarind pulp and cook for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the chopped fresh coriander and mix well.
Assembling the Potato Matar Ki Chaat
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a serving plate.
- Sprinkle each potato with chaat masala.
- Wash and pat dry the fresh coriander for the garnish.
- Remove the pomegranate seeds from the pomegranate.
- Add some water to the yoghurt to thin it down and mix well.
- Then add a spoonful of the matar (spicy peas) to each potato.
- Drizzle the thinned-down yoghurt on top of the matar, followed by some coriander chutney and South-Ki-chutney.
- Finally, sprinkle over the sev, chopped coriander and pomegranate seeds.
FAQ's
This style of preparing potatoes originated from the Hasselbacken Restaraunt in Stockholm, Sweden, having been invented by a trainee chef there in 1953. Hasselback potatoes are thinly sliced crosswise, almost to the base of the potato, creating a fan-like effect, and giving a crisp outside and fluffy, creamy inside. Cutting the potato in this way allows the potato to also absorb seasonings for maximum flavour.
Not really. The idea behind this chaat is that it serves as finger food, similar to a canapé. You pop the whole matar ki chaat into your mouth and savour the cacophony of flavours and textures together!
No, however, to make it vegan, replace the yoghurt with a plant-based alternative. When purchasing ready-made chutneys, check the label for quality assurance. If you are making my coriander chutney and South-ki-chutney, then you can rest assured that they are vegan. See "related recipies" below for a link to them.
Yes, but store each element separately for up to three days. Only assemble when ready to eat the matar ki chaat. Ideally, consume your chaat freshly made to really savour the taste experience.
Coriander chutney: Coriander chutney is a staple in most Indian households. It is very versatile, as a dipping sauce for any snack, or a sandwich filling with cheese, for instance. It is a fresh and vibrant and my version has some spice too, with added chilli.
Sonth ki chutney: Sonth Ki Chutney is a tangy, sweet and slightly spicy chutney. It is made with dried ginger, tamarind, jaggery and spices. In my recipe, I have replavced the jaggery with muscavado sugar. The ginger gives it a warm bite, the mucavado sugar provides it with a sweet element and the tamarind a sour element. Together they offer a balanced flavour.
Related Recipes
Click below to see my chutney recipes and other chaat recipe.
📖 Recipe
How to Make Matar Ki Chaat With Hasselback Aloo
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 kg Baby potatoes
- 200 g Dried white/ yellow peas
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 30 g Ginger
- 2 Green chilli
- 20 g Fresh Coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 10 g Tamarind (dried)
- 1&½ teaspoon Kala namak
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
Garnish
- ¼ Pomegranate
- 4 tbsp Coriander chutney
- 4 tablespoon South ki chutney
- 100 g Yoghurt
- 1 tsp Chaat masala
- 10 g Fresh Coriander leaves
- 8 tablespoon Sev or Bhujiya
Instructions
- Soak the peas overnight.
- Pre heat oven to 200ºC (fan assisted).
- Wash and pat dry the potatoes. Slice the bottom of each potato, so that it sits flat without rolling over. Then slice the potatoes thinly about 1.5 to 2 mm apart, without cutting all the way through (see the step-by-step photos).
- Place the potatoes on a baking tray, leaving space between them. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake the potatoes in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- While the potatoes are baking, rinse the peas and transfer into a pot. Then add the water and baking soda and bring to a boil. Next, pu the lid on the pot and simmer until the peas are cooked and tender.
- Wash and pat dry the ginger, coriander leaves and chillies. Finely chop the ginger and chillies, and roughly chop the coriander leaves.
- Soak the tamarind in hot water and pass through a sieve to extract the pulp. Repeat this one more time (see the step-by-step photos).
- Once the peas are cooked, heat the oil in a pan. The add the Cumin seeds. Once they are sizzling, add the Asafoetida. Allow them to bloom (become aromatic). This will take a couple of seconds.
- Now add the chopped ginger, followed by the green chillies and sauce for a minute.
- Add the cooked and drained peas to this mix.
- Now add the coriander powder and Kala namak. Mix it all together and continue cooking over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Then add the Tamarind pulp and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the chopped coriander and mix throughly.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Garnish
- Wash and pat dry the coriander.
- Add some water to the yoghurt to thin it down and mix well.
- Remove the seeds from the pomegranate.
Assembling the Chaat
- Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate.
- Sprinkle the chaat masala on top of each potato.
- Add a spoonful of the cooked matar onto each potato. It will fall, don't worry about that!
- Drizzle over each potato the thinned down yoghurt, followed by the Coriander chutney and South ki chutney.
- Finally, sprinkle over the sev and chopped coriander. Finish with the pomegranate seeds.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
NOTES
Kitchen Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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