Chaat Tarts

Serving the popular Indian street food chaat in mini-tart shells makes for a tasty vegetarian hors d'oeuvre. To complement the potato-chickpea filling: tamarind and mint chutneys that are full of flavour.

These Chaat Tarts helped Mahathi claim the title of Star Baker in this year’s Great Canadian Baking Show Holiday Special.

Chaat Tarts

By Mahathi Mundluru

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (20 g) whole wheat flour
• 5 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp (35 g) ghee, melted and cooled
• ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp water

Tamarind Chutney:

• ½ cup (80 g) seedless dates, roughly chopped
• ½ cup (100 g) jaggery (natural cane sugar, found in Indian grocery stores)
• 1¼ cups water
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground fennel
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• Salt

Mint Chutney:

• 1½ cups (30 g) mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¾ cup (105 g) cashews, soaked in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes and drained
• ½ cup (125 g) dahi (Indian curd, similar to yogurt)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 25 cilantro stems
• 1 green chili (such as serrano or finger)
• ½-inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt

Potato and Chickpea Filling:

• 2 medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked until tender
• ½ (540 ml) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
• 2 tbsp chaat masala (spice blend)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• Salt

Garnishes:

• Yellow onion, finely diced
• Bhujia sev (Indian snack)
• Dahi
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

Dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, chili powder, carom seeds, baking soda and salt. Add the ghee and mix gently until you have a coarse texture. Add the water slowly until a soft dough forms, holding some water back if the mixture becomes sticky.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 20 minutes. 

Heat the oven To 400 F.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and press evenly into 2½-inch tart pans. Use a fork to dock the bottom of each tart. Place the tart pans on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the shells from the pans to cool completely.

Tamarind Chutney:

Add the dates, jaggery and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the dates are softened and the mixture has thickened, lowering the heat if it begins to stick to the bottom, about 10 minutes. Add the tamarind paste, spices and salt, to taste.

Mash the mixture with a potato masher or fork, then simmer for another 2 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer the mixture to a food processor and purée until smooth. Add more water, if needed, for a thick, spoonable consistency.  

Mint Chutney:

Add all the ingredients except the salt to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Season to taste with salt.

Potato and Chickpea Filling:

In a large bowl, roughly mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Add the chickpeas, chaat masala, chili powder and salt to taste and mix to combine.

Assembly:

Divide the potato mixture evenly among the tart shells. Make a small well in the centre of the filling and top with the onion, bhujia sev, dahi, and tamarind and mint chutneys to taste. Garnish with a cilantro leaf. 

Makes 12 tarts