It’s impossible not to indulge in a lip-smacking plate of chaat when you’re craving for one! Whether it’s your popular chaat-wala around the corner of the street or restaurants giving chaats a gourmet spin, this popular street food has never failed to cause an flavourful explosion in your palate with it’s multifold layers – sweet, tangy, hot and spicy.
Interestingly, chaat has been on it’s own journey from the Mughal era until now, and so has another mughal favourite, the famed galouti kebab that has chartered a similar course – from the mughal kitchens to popular restaurants across the globe.
The origin of Chaat
Chaat was created in the royal kitchens of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan’s palace not as a delicacy, but as an antidote for stomach disorders that had plagued the inhabitants of Delhi due to the renovation of the canal. The royal physician had advised the inclusion of spices in food to keep stomach ailments at bay. This is how Old Delhi’s (also known as Shahjahanabad) chaat made its way to the streets of the city, which is now a chaat haven.
Different Styles of Chaat
You can enjoy the lip-smacking chaat in various styles, as each region has lent this snack it’s own flavour. The simple, yet flavourful aloo chaat packs a punch with its tangy and spicy notes. This humble chaat is a staple street food all across North India. It is made with fried pieces of parboiled potato mixed with chana (chickpeas) and chopped onions, and is generously topped with spices and chutney.
The iconic Bhelpuri of Mumbai is best enjoyed on its windy beaches. Soggy, crunchy and flavourful, the puffed rice, sev, chopped onions and potato are topped with fresh papdis, oodles of chutney and finally sprinkled with loads of sev.
We all love munching on the hot, delicious plates of melt-in-the mouth aloo tikki chaat. Crunchy on the outside and soft and flavourful on the inside, the aloo patty made from mashed potatoes is topped with curd, different types of chutney like coriander and tamarind and generously sprinkled with sev.
A close cousin of the aloo tikki is Mumbai’s classic ragda patties, that is topped with a simple dried peas curry and a variety of sweet, spicy and tangy chutneys, creamy yoghurt, ground spices, and crunchy sev.
The universe of chaats does not end here. In fact, there are many more that are equally popular. Like chaats, kebabs have also been an integral part of mughlai cuisine. Lucknow’s kebabs add to the old world charm of the city and have tales of their own that are worthy to be told as well as savoured.
The Origin of Galouti Kebabs
This melt-in-the-mouth delicacy from Lucknow was made for a toothless king. Kebabs were common in the royal household in the 13th century. However, until the 16th century, kebabs were quite chewy in texture. With Nawab Asa-ud-Daula becoming the new king, this trend changed. His contribution to the culinary culture of Lucknow was convincing, and food historians often credited him for bringing about a renaissance in the cuisine of the city.
The Nawab was a true blue foodie and tasked his cooks or khansamas with making a new variant of kebabs everyday. By the time the royal cooks came up with galouti kebabs, the Nawab had grown old and lost most of his dentures. So, the khansamas came up with this lip-smacking kebab – as it required no chewing.
Legend has it that it was Haji Mohammad Fakr-e-Alam Saheb, the one who created Moti Pulao, who made the first creamy, silky Galouti Kebab. He used the finest cuts of lamb, minced to perfection and mixed with over 150 exotic spices to build the heavenly flavour of the delectable kebab. The minced meat was then shaped into patties and shallow fried.
Now that you know how these two classic recipes originated, it’s time to try something new and combine the two together to make an easy and delicious evening snack.
You can start with ordering our ready-to-cook Lucknowi Mutton Galouti Kebab that cooks in 8 minutes, for a meaty snack. Let us know how your dish turned out to be in the comments below. If you post your recipe on social media, hashtag us at #MadeWithLicious. We’d love to see your delicious creations.
Learn How To Cook Delicious Galouti Kebab Dahi Chaat with This Yummy Recipe!
- Shallow fry Licious Lucknowi Mutton Galouti Kebab
- Add 2-3 pieces of Lucknowi Mutton Galouti Kebab to a bowl
- Top it with yoghurt
- Add Coriander chutney & tamarind chutney
- Sprinkle sev generously
