Baked Aaloo Chaat (Indian street food)

Healthier take on classic Indian street food chaat made with oven roasted crispy baked baby potatoes tossed with pomegranate, sweet sauce or saunth made with dry mango powder, tossed further in chaat masala with a hint of lemon juice. Sweet, salty, tangy - so many flavours in one perfect snack. 

Who doesn't love a good tangy, sweet and spicy chaat that is super indulgent and nothing beats a bowl of crispy aaloo chaat loaded with sweet saunth (sauce) and spiced up with chilli, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala (or pink salt... if you are into it) 

While I am yet to create a healthier version for my recipe for Indian street food style Aaloo tikki (mashed potato cakes), I was happy that I could start with this easy, indulgent, lip smacking potato recipe which is a skinnier version of the traditional deep fried aaloo chaat that you get at local markets or fairs and also many sweet shops in India.

What is aaloo chaat?

Traditional Indian street food, just like these fried aaloo tikkis, aaloo chaat is crispy fried potato cubes that are tossed in a spicy sweet sauce called saunth (or meethi chutney, which is the literal translation), sometimes also with coriander chutney, further tossed in basic spices like salt, roasted cumin powder and pink salt or chaat masala. Plus you squeeze lemon over it, therefore giving you the perfect snack which is all things sweet, spicy, tangy, savoury and crispy - all at once.

This guilt free, healthy version of aaloo chaat (fried potato cubes) is one of my favourite methods to cook potato, just like I did for my recipe for oven baked french fries, or parmesan potato wedges or these yummy sweet potato fries.

How to make healthy aaloo chaat in the oven with crunchy baked potatoes?

Ingredients:

• baby potatoes: with skin, boiled and sliced in half - baby potatoes are perfect for this recipe as they are bite sized, plus cooking them without peeling (with the skin on) makes them extra crunchy.
• extra virgin olive oil: or just any kind of oil
• lemon juice: for the tanginess
• salt
• pink salt or chaat masala: I pick chaat masala, but you do you.
• pomegranate: for that extra crunch and that pop of red colour
• aamchur chutney (dry mango chutney): I normally have a batch of this ready in my fridge (thanks mom!) Prepare the aamchoor chutney by boiling 1 1/2 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of aamchur powder (dry mango powder). Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of red food colouring. Keep stirring for 10 minutes on medium flame and transfer to a glass bowl. It will thicken as it cools.
• chopped coriander: optional, but highly recommended

Steps:

Roasted potatoes: Start by baking the baby potatoes. Cut the boiled baby potatoes one by two and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add salt and olive oil and gently mix. Transfer the baby potatoes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 minutes.

Transfer the crispy roasted potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add pomegranate, lemon juice, aamchur chutney, pink salt and coriander. Mix well and serve.

There you go, and its ready! The perfect evening tea time snack or appetiser, or something to serve with chai (tea) or coffee, this authentic Indian appetiser (street food style) lightened up for you, so that you can enjoy the indulgence! You also might wanna check out the entire category for appetisers for more recipes.

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