Aloo chaat chicken curry doesn’t exist on a menu anywhere that I’m aware of. I made it up. It’s different from the run-of-the-mill curries you see on almost every Indian restaurant menu. And what makes it special is the chaat masala. That really gives it a distinctive tang. If you’ve never had chaat you have no idea what I’m talking about. But if you have, you know. I’m loving the chaat masala these days. Different. In a funky, good way.
Aloo chaat chicken curry is a take on Indian street food
Think fried potatoes are tossed in a mix of spices, green chilies and maybe some lemon or lime juice. Sound good? Aloo chaat. Indian street food. That’s the inspiration here. Takes the flavours of aloo chaat and runs with it. Street food becomes restaurant curry. The big flavour here comes from the chaat masala. Without it, it’s just another curry with potatoes and chicken. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. I’m saying it can be better. Something special. Your choice of chaat masala matters. The key ingredient in chaat masala- the one that really makes it – is black salt. It’s important. Gives it the distinctive tang. Some chaat masalas have it. Some don’t. Not sure why that is. Read the ingredients and make sure the one you get has it. Or you can make chaat masala yourself. If you can’t find a chaat masala with black salt you can just buy some at your Indian grocer.Black salt is kala namak in Hindi. Just ask for it. It’s cheap. Just add a pinch of it in when you add your chaat masala. Easy fix.
This is cooking Indian restaurant style
It’s a pretty straightforward and follows the Indian restaurant technique exactly. Do yourself a favour and read that post first. There are pictures and a video to help you understand. Prep your ingredients. Make your curry base. Have some heated and ready to go. Pre-cook your meat. Measure out your ingredients. Put on some old clothes – the curry sputters. Make this aloo chaat chicken curry as written. Or make it with lamb. That works too. Or use chickpeas. Makes a great potato curry. Lot’s of possibilities. Restaurant style aloo chaat chicken curry. May not be the most common dish on restaurant menus but it should be.
