July 9, 2017

Easy Cheesy Tater Tot Chaat!!

There are always days in life when things do not always go as planned. Occurrences like these can either leave you completely disappointed or may turn out to be a sweet surprise that you may not have expected. I can happily say, what happened to me was of the latter variety. I have finally mustered up the courage to cook with my least favorite ingredient, which of course turned out to be a disaster. Instead I moved on to cook with the humble spud. Who would have thought that I would end up with this hot, sweet and delectably easy cheesy tater tot chaat.

No such thing like perfect kid

Growing up I was never a picky eater. Instead I was the obedient kid who ate all his veggies (CHUCKLES). The big reason for this was my parents who were great cooks and foodies in their own right. Now y’all might think no one can be such a perfect kid. To which I would say y’all are absolutely right (LAUGHS!!!) There is indeed one vegetable in this world that I will not eat and that is “EGGPLANT” (Cue my wife saying in the background how much she loves it). To be more specific it is the mushy texture that I seem to have a problem with.

I have no issues with fried eggplant for that matter which is exactly what I decided to make for this week’s post. But after multiple attempts at the recipe failed miserably I had every reason to hate the eggplant even more.

Homemade Tater Tots

Time to move on to Plan B. That was to make the almighty potato as the star of the dish. Wifey and I were bouncing ideas around and in the spur of the moment she blurted out the words Tatertot Chaat. That instantly stuck a nerve inside my head and everything about it sounded just about right.

I mean c’mon who wouldn’t like that??? Crispy crunchy tots with a sweet and sour chutney and toppings of your choice.. Now that is a fun Indian-American fusion dish.. RIGHT Y”ALL!!!!

How to make Indian Spiced Tater Tots from scratch

It is quiet an easy to make dish except for the fact that care needs to be taken while cooking the potatoes. Absolutely do not let the potatoes cook all the way through. If that happens then all you have in your hands is just mush and no amount of flour is going to make up for it. Trust me I am talking from personal experience.. (CHUCKLES).

I cooked the potatoes halfway and used a grater to finely shred them. Then squeeze out the water if any with your hands or a clean cloth.

Now it was time to flavor the potatoes. So in went the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste, turmeric powder, chaat masala, lemon juice, scallions and a whole lot of cheese. The recipe was wifey dear’s idea and she loves cheese so got to keep the missus happy.. (LAUGHS!!!). Finally add a little AP flour to bring it all together. Then simply form tots of desired shape and fry them into golden brown nuggets of goodness.

Tips to make Crispy Homemade Potato Tots

Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. They need to be firm to grate.
If the mixture is sticking to your hands, rub some oil on your hands to prevent sticking.
Do not over crowd the pan while frying.
To Air Fry : Simply spray them lightly and cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, shaking every 5 min.
To Bake : Put the tater tots on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F, turn the tots and bake for another 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy.

How to make Indian Tater Tot Chaat

I know, I know y’all are going to want to eat these right now.. But hold on just a bit more and I promise y’all won’t be disappointed. The addition of a few garnishes is going to make a world of difference. I kept it simple by just adding onions, tomato, cilantro and sev which is basically fried gram flour for extra crunch. Finally the piece de resistance is the sweet and sour chutney and ta da you have a dish whose flavors are going to make magic on your palate..

How to Store Homemade Tater Tots?

You can easily store the left over tots in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last 3-4 days and can be warmed up in the microwave.

Store Bought Tater Tots

You can also use store bought tater tots to make Tatertot chaat. Follow the instruction for heating the frozen tater tot. Once cooked top it up with your fav toppings and enjoi !!

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