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Banarasi tamatar chaat
Varanasi's hot, mashed tomato and potato chaat (टमाटर चाट) with sweet syrup and crunchy sev, served in clay cups
Walk through the lanes near Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi in the evening and you will see vendors mashing tomatoes and potatoes in large iron pans, cooking them with ghee and spices until thick, then spooning the mixture into small clay cups. Tamatar chaat is unique to Banaras: served hot, spicy, tangy, and finished with a thin sugar syrup and a pinch of chaat masala, then topped with crisp sev for crunch. Locals eat it standing up after the aarti, often followed by a glass of lassi. Many people forget the sugar syrup, but that's what balances the sourness and makes it Banarasi. Chef's tip: use very ripe, soft tomatoes and mash them right in the pan with the back of the ladle, leaving some texture.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chaat
For the syrup and topping
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil the 1 ¾ oz sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water in a small pan for 2–3 minutes until it is slightly syrupy and coats a spoon. Set aside to cool.
3 minStep 2: Heat the 3 tbsp ghee in a heavy iron or steel pan over medium heat. Add the 1 tsp cumin seeds; when it crackles and darkens a shade, add the ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing), 1 tbsp ginger and 2 green chillies and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2 minStep 3: Add the 1 ⅓ lb very ripe tomatoes, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp salt. Cook on medium-high, mashing with the back of a ladle, for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes collapse completely and the ghee starts to separate.
10 minStep 4: Add the 9 oz potatoes and ½ cup water and keep mashing and stirring on medium heat for 5–6 minutes. The chaat is ready when it is thick and glossy, like a loose mash that drops slowly off the spoon.
6 minStep 5: Spoon the hot chaat into small bowls or clay cups. Drizzle each with a spoon of syrup, then sprinkle with 1 tsp roasted cumin powder, ½ tsp black salt (kala namak) and 1 tsp chaat masala.
Step 6: Top with a generous handful of 1 ⅜ oz fine sev, the ⅓ oz fresh coriander and the 1 red onion if using, and serve at once while the sev is still crisp.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banarasi tamatar chaat take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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