Moth Papri Chaat

Chaat is all about assembly. I met her in the assembly too. We were in the eighth grade then, barely aware of our rights. My class was mercilessly disintegrated by the nuns in the convent school, and we were sent packing to other sections. Hence I landed in AA’s section. Class 8D. AA was that Math whiz every class has. I think I made friends with her only to sharpen my skills in Algebra and Trigonometry, and also for her homemade mango pickles. She would let me have her lunch box, and also invite me home for her birthdays. Her parties were so much fun with chaat, gol gappa, spicy chole and video games. Not boring like mine – just the luchi-cholaar daal, pulao-mangsho and sandesh-cake fare. 

AA was everything I never could be, and her parties so popular, girls talked about it till her next birthday. Okay, that’s a little exaggerated, but it was important for me to use hyperbole to let you get the drift.

When I posted recipe invites on my Facebook page yesterday, AA was the first one to email me. A long and involved recipe of Moth Papri Chaat. Painstakingly detailing all the steps.

I knew what Papri Chaat was. But Moth? Some minutes later, I found this on the Internet.

So today I made this chaat, with AA Mother’s recipe.

Ingredients for Moth Papri Chaat are:

For the Papri you will need:
1:1:1 of wheat flour, flour and semolina
Quarter teaspoon nigella seeds
2 tablespoons canola oil for kneading
Half cup oil for deep frying
Pinch of salt
Water

Knead a hard dough with the flour-semolina, using very little water. Make a large but thin flatbread with portions of the dough.
Cut cookie-size papris using a cookie cutter.
Poke a fork or knife at several places of these small papris and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok till smoking. Add 4-5 papris and deep fry till golden brown. Drain excess oil in paper towels.
(Let them cool down before storing.)

For the Moth:
1 cup green moong, soaked overnight
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mango powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cook the soaked moong in water, oil and spices till tender but not mushy. Drain if there is excess water.

For the Sweet Tamarind Chutney:
Half cup tamarind pulp
Half cup sugar
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon dry ginger powder
Half cup water
Salt to taste
I make this instant chutney where I blend everything and then heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave. Adjust the taste to get the right balance.

For the Green Chili Chutney:
Handful of green chilies
1 teaspoon dry mango powder
Half cup water
Salt

Blend everything together till you get a smooth chutney. It should be a little runny.

For the garnish/topping:
Half cup chopped boiled potatoes
Half cup chopped coriander leaves
Half cup finely chopped red onions
Half cup sev bhujia
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon roasted cumin-coriander powder
Like I said, chaat is all about assembling the ingredients in the right order, which practically takes no time. Its also about serving it fresh. Its just the prep work and cooking which are somewhat long and involved. But let that not daunt you because what waits at the end is sheer B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-C-E. Layer the papris on a plate and top each one with ample moth, pieces of potato and onions.
Drizzle the chutneys, balancing the heat and the sweet and sprinkle lots of chopped coriander.
Pinch some black salt and roasted cumin-coriander powder and add to the chaat.
Top it off with store-bought sev bhujia.

What is bliss, I ask. And I hear a roaring reply from inside me – friends like AA and a plateful of Moth Papri Chaat on a sunny afternoon. The chaat with all its fresh and crunchy ingredients bursting in my mouth a thousand splendid flavors. And that cup of Darjeeling tea tingling my senses. Thank you, AA! For this is just the little window you have opened for me to keep coming back to you for your recipes. You will at least be happy I am not pestering you with a Math problem.

Train Travel Clichés Made Interesting

Remember those steam engine trains with non-AC coaches of the India in the 1980s?
My sister and I were enrolled in its frequent traveler program. Every holiday, we were packed off to our Dadu-Dida’s (grandparents) home on the banks of Sone River, a small industrial town called Dalmianagar.

The only rewarding thing about these short-distance train travels were the hawkers and sellers who boarded the train, and did very effective marketing and selling and entertaining all at the same time.

The times I wasn’t gaping at the agricultural landscape outside, I was awed by the chana-moong wala. That’s sprouted red gram and green moong for the uninitiated!

In the last many years, I have replayed the image of that dhoti-clad man with a distinguishable gumcha around his neck many times, over and over again. Chopping and dicing, singing and hawking, balancing his basket of goodies on one knee, standing in the corridor of the train’s coach like an elegant stork. Doling out that heavenly mixture of sprouts and chopped onions with black salt and a squeeze of lemon. Spreading it out carefully on a leaf, which he would curl up to make a little bowl, and throw in a leaf “spoon” for you to scoop the salad.

Now which salad bar on this earth can bring you that same happiness? Not one I can think of.

I have spent many sleepless nights thinking and salivating about that same chana salad.
I was feeling particularly ambitious about making it for myself today as a light lunch. Yesterday’s horrid wetness had dampened my spirits and my salon-treated tresses. But the thought of chowing on a sprout salad and soaking up some Vitamin D cheered me up.

Looks like I am deriving some of my energy from this picker upper salad.
Its color and crunch are guaranteed to kick start the weekend. I will have a good one! I know you will too.