Indian Cuisine
Aloo Shakarkandi Ki Chaat
Golden-fried potato and sweet potato tossed in ghee with tamarind, black salt, and saunth chutney
Winter in North India belongs to the sweet potato. Carts appear on street corners roasting shakarkandi over coal, their skins cracking and the interior turning dense, sweet, and almost caramel-like. Aloo shakarkandi ki chaat captures this seasonal pairing: potato and sweet potato together, cubed and shallow-fried in ghee until golden at the edges, then tossed warm with the traditional chaat condiments: tamarind water, saunth chutney, black salt, and the sharp brightness of green chilli.
The contrast between the two is the point. Potato is starchy and neutral; sweet potato is dense and sweet. Pan-fried in ghee rather than boiled or steamed, both develop a slightly crisp exterior that holds up when tossed with the liquid condiments. The saunth chutney (dried ginger-tamarind sauce) adds a deep, complex warmth. Black salt (kala namak) provides its characteristic sulphurous, almost egg-like note that is so associated with North Indian chaat that its absence makes the dish seem incomplete.
This is a simple preparation made interesting by the layering of its seasonings: tangy, sour, warm, sharp, and salty in different measures, all arriving together on a warm cube of ghee-fried potato.
At a Glance
Yield
Serves 4
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Total
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lbpapas, peladas y cortadas en cubos de 2 cm
- 1 lbcamotes, pelados, asados o hervidos, cortados en cubos de 2 cm
- ½ cupghee (para freír con poco aceite)
- ⅓ cupagua de tamarindo (bolita pequeña de tamarindo disuelta en 100 ml de agua tibia,, colada)
- 1¾ ozjengibre fresco, cortado en juliana fina
- 1 ozsal negra (*kala namak*,, unas 5 cucharaditas)
- 1½ cupchutney saunth (chutney de jengibre seco y tamarindo,, disponible en tiendas indias)
- 1 ozchiles verdes, finamente picados
- 1¼ cupcilantro fresco, finamente picado
Method
- 1
Fry the potatoes (500 g). Heat the ghee (100 g) in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced potato and fry, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until golden and crispy at the edges and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- 2
Warm the sweet potato. If the sweet potato is already roasted or boiled, add it to the same ghee for 2–3 minutes just to warm through and pick up some colour.
- 3
Toss together. Combine the fried potato and sweet potato in a wide bowl. Pour over the tamarind water (100 ml) and add the black salt (25 g), ginger (50 g) julienne, and chopped green chillies (25 g). Toss well.
- 4
Add saunth chutney (200 g). Drizzle the saunth chutney over the mixture and toss once more.
- 5
Garnish and serve. Scatter the fresh coriander (25 g) over the top and serve warm. This chaat is best when the potato is still hot and the condiments are fresh.
Key Ingredient Benefits
Black salt (kala namak) is a volcanic rock salt with a high sulphur content. It has a pungent, almost egg-like smell and a complex, savoury-smoky taste that is characteristic of North Indian chaat. Available from any Indian grocery store.
Saunth chutney is a prepared condiment made from dried ginger, tamarind, jaggery, and spices. It is the darker, more complex counterpart to fresh green chutney, and a key chaat ingredient. Many Indian stores carry it ready-made; it can also be made by combining tamarind paste, powdered dry ginger, black salt, and a little jaggery.
Why This Works
Frying in ghee rather than a neutral oil changes the flavour of the potato in a way that complements the sweet potato. Ghee's milk solids caramelise at relatively low temperatures, creating a complex, slightly nutty base note that no other fat provides. This richness is the foundation on which the sharp, sour, and spicy condiments play.
Black salt in chaat is not decorative. Its distinctive sulphurous quality directly triggers the savoury response the same way a squeeze of lime triggers sourness. The combination of black salt, tamarind water, and saunth in the same dish layers three different expressions of the same impulse: the need for contrast to balance the starchy sweetness of the main ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
No ghee: Use neutral oil for a vegan version. The flavour will be different, cleaner but less round.
Roasted sweet potato: Roasting the sweet potato whole (at 200°C for 45 minutes) before cubing and adding produces a deeper, more concentrated sweetness than boiling.
Addition of papdi: Serving this chaat on a base of papdi (fried flour crackers) makes it more substantial.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm, immediately after tossing. This chaat works as a street-food-style snack before a meal, or as an afternoon snack with chai. In the North Indian tradition, it is most associated with winter markets and seasonal fairs.
Storage & Reheating
Best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated but the potato loses its crispness. Rewarm in a dry pan.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 324kcal (16%)|Total Carbohydrates: 59g (21%)|Protein: 6g (12%)|Total Fat: 8g (10%)|Saturated Fat: 4.8g (24%)|Cholesterol: 19mg (6%)|Sodium: 2388mg (104%)|Dietary Fiber: 7.9g (28%)|Total Sugars: 7.7g
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