Batan Papdi Chaat |AlifBe~45

Want secret recipes of Batan Papdi Chutney and special Chaat masala? Do check the video recipe :

AlifBe~ 45

The 45th Alphabet of Arabic Sindhi script is ڻ  in Sindhi, ण in Devanagari and N~ in Roman Sindhi. In Hindi or Devanagari, no word starts with this particular alphabet. Same is the case with the Sindhi script and the ण appears in the middle or at the end of any word. In English it is generally denoted by ‘N’ as in Ramayan, Raavan, Brahman etc due to  lack of proper corresponding alphabet for ण, in English.

And I have picked one of my favourite street foods for this alphabet in the AlifBe series!

Batan Paapdi (Papdi) or Batar Papdi

It is a very unique chaat available in Sindhi dominated areas. The base of this chaat is Batan~ or the Batar, the kadak round ‘biscuit’, often had with tea.
More popular as Ulhasnagar  special Chaat, the batan~ papdi chaat is named so, perhaps, due to the button shaped ‘biscuits’ (or kadak pao, as some like to call it) or maybe it is a wrongly pronounced term for the batar; the makhaniya or buttery biscuits.
And no, Surti batar or the Jeera batar wont work for this chaat as those are not very porous. You can find the ‘Sindhi Batan~’ in Sindhi dominated areas in many Kirana shops.

The porous batan~ have a look and texture similar to an over baked (kadak) mini laadi pao.

The Batan~ are topped with boiled potatoes, onions, papdi, dalmoth and 3 types of chutneys. Each morsel of this chaat is like a ‘riot of flavors’ in the mouth! Sach mein…batan papdi ki kasam 😉

The flavors of Batan~ papdi chaat at every eatery/cart vary a bit because of the spice blends and the chutneys used.
Each vendor uses his or her secret recipes for the chutney as well as the spice mix and hence it is not appropriate to say that the following recipe is ‘the’ recipe for making this chaat, but it is definitely one of those ‘secret’ recipes that would help you to recreate the ‘thele waali batan~ papdi‘ sort of flavors.

Commercially, most of the vendors make 3 types of chutneys for Batan~ papdi;
Spicy green chutney– used sparingly in general but if someone wants the dish to be spicy, the quantity of this chutney is increased.
Mint coriander chutney for the minty, refreshing flavors
Tangy tamarind chutney, the star ingredient!

Also, each vendor uses unique spice blend or the Chaat masala that imparts distinct flavors to the chaat.

I have shared one such spice blend (like chaat masala) recipe below along with 3 chutney recipes. But if making three types of chutneys and chaat masala sounds tedious to you then you can try the cheat version i.e,
1) Use any chaat masala of your choice.
2) Skip making spicy chilli chutney. Just use that mint coriander chutney that you generally stock in your refrigerator. Dilute it with some chilled water and add panipuri masala or Jaljeera powder.

But believe me, the tangy tamarind chutney is the heart of Batar Papdi and should not be compromised. It is very easy to make. You can make a base paste in bulk and preserve it in the refrigerator for few weeks.(Recipe shared below).

And when you crave for panipuri or batan papadi, just use a portion of that chutney paste, add some chilled water and some tamarind paste/water. Easy?

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Batan Papdi Chaat |AlifBe~45

Rating  5.0 from 1 reviews

Ulhasnagar special Batan~ or Batar Papdi chaat is a unique street food made using makhaniya biscuits as the base.

Ingredients

For Batan~ Papdi Chaat

• 10-12 Batan~
• 1 Big Onion
• ¼ of small beetroot (raw)
• 2 Boiled Potatoes
• 1 Bowl Papdi
• ½ Bowl Dal moth
• Green Chilli Chutney (Recipe shared below)
• Mint Coriander Chutney
• Tangy Chutney (Recipe shared below)
• Spice Mix/Chaat Masala (Recipe shared below) Or any branded or home made chaat masala

For special Chaat masala

• ½ inch Dalchini (Cinnamon)
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp Red Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Amchoor Powder
• 2 pinches of Ajwain (Carom seeds)
• ½ tbsp Roasted Cumin powder
• ¼th tsp Saunth (Dried ginger powder)
• ½ tsp Black salt
• ¼th tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
• 4-5 Cloves
• 8-10 Black pepper corns
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1-2 tbsp dried mint leaves
• ¼ tsp Citric acid (I didn't use any)

For spicy green chilli chutney

• 4-5 green chillies
• 3-4 spinach leaves
• 1 inch piece ginger
• ¾ th cup of coriander leaves
• Salt/kalanamak as per taste

Tangy Tamarind chutney

• 12-15 Mint leaves
• 1 tbsp Amchoor
• ½ tsp Kaala Namak
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 pinches of Ajwain (Carom seeds)
• 2 pinches of Hing (Asafoetida) (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp of water
• ½ tsp Citric acid i,e Tatri (I didn't use any)
• ¼ tbsp Salt

Other ingredients

• Lemon sized ball of Tamarind
• 1 cup water to soak tamarind
• 750 ml chilled/iced water

Method

1. Make mint coriander chutney. You can check its recipe here
2. For special chaat masala powder, just blend the ingredients mentioned under "Special Chaat masala" to make a fine powder. Store it in a clean and dry glass bottle. Use it to garnish any type of chaat.
3. For spicy green chilli chutney, just blend green chillies, ginger, spinach and coriander leaves. Use a little of water, if needed, to make a smooth paste. Do not dilute this chutney.
4. For the tangy chutney, soak tamarind in water for 20 minutes. Mash well, with fingers and discard the pulp.
5. In a blender jar, add all ingredients mentioned under "Tangy Tamarind chutney". Using a tbsp or so of water, make a smooth paste. You can store this paste in the refrigerator for few weeks and can use it to make Panipuri ka khatta paani.
6. Take 750 ml of chilled water, add some ice too.
7. Add the above mentioned paste and mix it well. Adjust seasoning. Can add a bit of sugar or jaggery to balance the flavors. Commercially many vendors use citric acid (Tatri) too, to make this chutney but I didn't use any.
8. Boil and peel potatoes and cut in small chunks/ random slices.
9. Finely chop onion and beetroot and mix together. Add some fresh coriander leaves too.
10. To assemble the chaat, cut open each batan (refer the video).
11. Ideally batan~ are first flash dipped in the tangy chutney but you will have to be very quick at this step else the batan tend to get too soggy and swell up. You can skip this step.
12. Place the batan in the serving plate with the porous side up.
13. Lay some potatoes over each batan, sprinkle chaat masala (home made/branded, any chaat masala will do).
14. Top it with spicy chilli chutney (more if you like it spicy, less, if you like it mild), some mint coriander chutney, papdi, dal moth, onions and then pour over 1-2 ladle full of chilled
15. tangy tamarind chutney and consume the chaat immediately.

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