Banarasi Tamatar Chaat Varanasi Tomato Street

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes — finely chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 green chilli — finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• For topping: 1 cup thin sev, 2 tbsp coriander leaves, 1 tsp chaat masala, 1 tsp lemon juice

Method

1. Heat oil and add cumin: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan. Add cumin seeds — wait to crackle.
2. Add ginger and green chilli: Add ginger paste and finely chopped green chilli. Stir 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes: Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes until they begin to soften.
4. Add spice powders: Turn to low. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir 1 minute.
5. Cook until tomatoes break down: Cook on medium heat stirring every 2 minutes for 8 to 10 minutes until the tomatoes are completely broken down, the oil separates and the mixture becomes thick and jammy.
6. Add amchur, sugar and salt: Add amchur, sugar and salt. Stir. Cook 2 more minutes. The tamatar chaat should be thick, sweet, sour and spiced simultaneously.
7. Taste and balance: Taste the cooked tomato mixture. Adjust amchur for sourness, sugar for sweetness. The Banarasi chaat should have all flavours simultaneously.
8. Serve in small bowls: Spoon the cooked tomato mixture into small serving bowls while still hot.
9. Add crunchy topping: Top immediately with a large handful of thin sev, chopped coriander leaves, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chaat masala.
10. Eat immediately: The sev softens quickly — eat within 5 minutes of topping.
11. Note: Tamatar Chaat is specific to the ghat area of Varanasi — particularly the lanes around Dashashwamedh Ghat where it has been sold by street vendors for generations. The cooked tomato base rather than raw ingredients is what distinguishes it from other chaats. Varanasi is known across India for the variety of its street food — the ghats are lined with food vendors from early morning through late evening.