Pocket Chaat

This recipe has been at the back of my mind for months now. Since the first time I read it in Tarla Dalal's book which is aptly called "Chaat" I knew I would definitely make this. I liked the name, I liked the picture and I liked the fact that there was broccoli in it. But for one reason or the other it kept taking a back seat. Sometimes I did not have the pita bread ,sometimes the broccoli and otherwise it was the cheese that was missing in my fridge. Finally last week I managed to assemble all the ingredients (as few as they are) and got down to making the dish.

After having tasted it I was very happy that the recipe and the picture in Tarla Dalal's book all live up to the impression they created in my mind. Have it as a tea-time snack , or at supper-time ,or while entertaining friends its a sure shot hit everytime. According to the book this recipe is inspired by the middle eastern Falafal, but is a much simpler version.

I used the recommended Broccoli for the Tikkis but you can substitute it with any other veggie of your choice.

For the cheese and broccoli tikkis:
1 cup finely chopped broccolli
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2 tablespoons cornflour
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying

Procedure for the tikkis:

1.Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes

2. Add the chopped broccoli and salt to it and fry further for 4 to 5 minutes till the broccoli is almost cooked,

3.Remove from the fire and add the corflour and cheese and mix well,

4. Allow to cool slightly and then make the tikkis

5. Roll the tikkis into bread crumbs and shallow fry.

Accompaniments:
Freash Garlic Chutney and
A crispy salad of 1 medium onion finely sliced,1 tomato, thinly sliced, some shredded lettuce, some coarsely grated carrots

For the fresh garlic chutney:

1 cup garlic cloves

1 tblspn chilli powder,

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt to taste

Blend all the above into a a chutney. Add a little water if neccessary.

To assemble the dish:

Cut the pitta into half and warm each half in the toaster for about 20 secs. Once it had warmed the pita will open up and create pockets for you to fill. Smear each pita pocket from the inside with the garlic chutney. I also smeared hummus. Put in one Tikki in each pocket and top with the crispy salad. Top up with more chutney if you like and dig in.

Yum Yum Yum!!!!