KurKuri Bhindi Chaat

"Chaat is a popular genre of snack food, sold on the streets of Indian cities," says Dipam Patel, chef/partner of Khyber Grill in South Plainfield. "It's almost endless in its possibilities, and it's simple to make. When we experimented with the ingredients, the flavors came together by accident. We just threw everything into a bowl, and it came out great—just fried okra, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and some lemon juice. It is a very forgiving recipe; you can add however much you want."

Khyber Grill
Kurkuri bindhi chaat is a toss of crispy okra with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and spices in a tangy lemon sauce.
Photo by Ryan Lavine.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb fresh okra, washed, thinly sliced
1 roma tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 lemons, halved, juiced
1 small cucumber, diced
Oil for frying
2 tbs chaat masala (available at any indian grocery)
 Kosher Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the fresh okra, then slice lengthwise into thin strips
2. Deep fry the strips until brown. Give them enough space to fry completely, toss as they fry
3. Air dry on a cooling rack, allowing them to become crunchy. 
4. In a mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers and thoroughly mix with the crispy okra
5. Add lemon juice. Be sure to add enough that you can taste the lemon, but not enough to soak the ingredients. 
6. Add chaat masala 
7. Add kosher salt to taste and mix thoroughly
8. Serve in a bowl or a plate, garnishing with a lemon wedge and chopped cilantro 

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