Chaat in India refers to certain kinds of hot-and-sour foods that are generally eaten as snacks but may be served at lunch as well. When I was growing up in Delhi, the servants cooked the main dishes but it was my mother who always made the chaat, not in the kitchen but in the pantry where she kept her chaat seasonings, the most important of which was roasted and ground cumin seeds. Chaat could be made out of many things—various boiled tubers, boiled legumes like chickpeas and mung beans, and even fruit such as bananas, green mangoes, peaches, guavas, and oranges. Chopped cilantro may be sprinkled over the top just before serving. Serve at room temperature with cold chicken, with kebabs, and, for Indians at least, with tea. Indians love hot tea with spicy snacks.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 1/2 pounds waxy boiling potatoes (such as red potatoes), boiled, allowed to cool thoroughly, and peeled (do not refrigerate at any point)

　　1 1/4 teaspoons salt

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more, as desired

　　Freshly ground black pepper, a generous amount

　　1/2 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds

　　1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

　　

Step 1

Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch dice and put into a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste for balance of spices, adding more of any of the seasonings if you like. Serve at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate. Refrigeration at any stage changes the texture of the potatoes.)

　　

Variations: Potato and Pea Chaat

Step 2

Once the potatoes have been diced into the bowl, add 1 cup boiled and well-drained peas. Add just a little bit more of each of the seasonings, tasting to make sure you have a good balance. Serve at room temperature, with chopped cilantro sprinkled over the top. (serves 4–5)

　　

Variations: Potato Chaat, Stir-Fried

Step 3

Make Potato Chaat exactly as the recipe suggests. Then put 3 tablespoons oil in a large well-seasoned or nonstick pan and set on medium-high heat. When hot, put in the potatoes. Stir and fry for 4–5 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned. Serve hot, with chopped cilantro sprinkled over the top. (serves 4)

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.