Chaats are beloved savory snacks that originated in India and are usually available at roadside stalls or food carts. At the core, they are salty, sweet, spicy, crunchy snacks usually involving vegetables, lentils and herbs with drizzles of chutneys and yogurt. It’s the food from India most of us transplants miss the most. Over the years, I have tried dozens of variations from corn mint chaat to the quintessential pani poori and loved them all. Here is a salad loosely based on the idea of a chaat. The yogurt provides the creamy touch, mushroom the meaty, cherry the sweet and tarragon the herbaceous finish.
CHERRY MUSHROOM CHAAT
1 cup thick plain yogurt
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Juice from half a lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced thick
1 cup pitted cherries
Small handful tarragon leaves
Instructions: Combine the plain yogurt with a pinch of salt, pepper, cumin and lime juice. Spread it onto a plate before serving.
Pit and slice the cherries and set aside.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil. When it is just shy of smoking, add the coriander seeds. They will pop and sizzle — immediately lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced portobello mushrooms. Sear them on both sides for 2-3 minutes each, sprinkling them with the remaining salt, pepper and cumin.
Place the mushrooms over the yogurt, top with cherries and tarragon. Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTES & VARIATIONS
Greek yogurt will work best in this recipe.
Any mushrooms will work — button, oyster or trumpet.
Instead of cherries, try minced ripe mango or peaches and instead of tarragon, try mint, cilantro or mint leaves.
Makes 2-4 servings
From chef Anita Jaisinghani
Anita Jaisinghani is the chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston. Her website is india1948.com. Contact her at anita@pondicheri.com.
August 05, 2020 at 02:00AM
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Cherry mushroom salad is loosely based on savory chaat snack - Houston Chronicle
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