Street foods of West Bengal needs no introduction. From the crispy kathi rolls to the oily mughlai paratha and to the spicy chop - street food of Bengal makes an integral part of the state's food culture. However, street foods are generally associated with everything unhealthy, oily and deep fried. But did you know that there is a popular street food in Bengal that doesn't fall under the unhealthy category? Yes, this food is made with healthy and nutrient-rich ingredients sans a dash of oil. It is called chotpoti.
Chotpoti, which literally means spicy or as we say in Hindi 'chatpata', is a quintessential Bengali street food, made with sprouts, boiled potato, tamarind and some spices. If you visit Bengal, you surely will find a street-cart selling chotpoti in almost every lane year-round. It can also be easily made at home in a jiffy.
Also Read:Here Are 5 Best Street Foods Of Kolkata
Here's The Step-By-Step Recipe Of Chotpoti:
Ingredients:
Sprouted black chana- half cup
Boiled potato- one-third cup
Boiled whole yellow peas/chickpeas- half cup
Tomato- 2 tablespoon (deseeded and chopped)
Cucumber- 2 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Raw mango- 1 table spoon (julienne)
Onion- half (finely sliced)
Green chilli- 2 (thin slices)
Coriander leaves- 1 tablespoon (freshly chopped)
Table salt and black salt- as per taste
Roasted jeera-dhania-red chilli powder- 1-2 teaspoon
Lime juice- half tablespoon
Tamarind pulp concentrate- 1 teaspoon
Sugar- as per taste
Method:
Take the tamarind pulp concentrate in a cup of water and mix well. Strain and keep the pulpy tamarind water.
Now, take some salt, sugar and roasted powder and mix with the pulpy tamarind water. Adjust the taste as per your palate. Your tamarind sauce is ready for the dish.
Take a mixing bowl and add all the ingredients (except lemon, spices, salt and sugar) to it.
Add lemon juice and black salt to it and mix.
Now, add the tamarind sauce to it (as much you want) and give a good mix till every ingredient gets well coated with the spicy-tangy sauce.
The chotpoti is ready to be served.
Variations:
Chotpoti has several variations in different parts of Bengal. At some places, they add chopped coconuts to it, while some places add boiled egg to it. Some people even garnish with crushed 'sukha papdi' of paanpuri or sev.
Eat it as you like it - every variation of chotpoti tastes amazing. This will be an ideal evening snack if you are looking for some healthy yet spicy food option. Happy snacking!