I *love* chaat! It is such a perfect thing to eat when you're craving something tangy, sour, hot and sweet at the same time! This is especially for those days and weekends. One great thing about this, besides its fabulous flavor of course, is that you can add just about anything to give it a personal touch. It can range anywhere from boiled potatoes, chickpeas, crushed tortilla chips, hot sauces, onions, peppers....etc etc! So, go ahead and make it the way YOU want. Here's how I made this favorite:

For the Pooris:

You can make your own crispy pooris. This recipe here is a nice one which I used to make "dahi sev pooris". I had made a smaller version then, this time, the pooris are HUGE. Make it to whatever size you like, or if you're in a rush, get the ready-made ones from an Indian grocery store.

For the Fillings:
Get creative! Use what you have,

Boiled potatoes, cooked chickpeas, sprouted moong, poha, crushed tortilla chips, sev, mamra (puffed rice), other beans, spicy cereal mix etc etc!

Chutneys: Green Chutney, Tamarind or Apple Butter Chutneys, Whisked plain yogurt spiced with some roasted Jeera powder and some salt, I also like the hot Sriracha Sauce drizzled on top!

Toppings: Chopped Onions, Cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, fine sev, Chaat Masala, red chili powder...

Make a well in the pooris, add your choice of topping that has been mixed with some chaat masala and fill each poori. Drizzle each of the chutneys on top and add the chopped onions and cilantro...and enjoy each tangy, spicy bite!

Serve right away with other savories...I had some spicy Mirchi Bhajiyas to go along with it.

Cooked Up By Cardamom | 13 Foodies Liked This Links to this post    

My oldest son was watching Giada's show on the Food Network with me couple of weeks ago( he *adores* Giada, by the way) and in one of the recipes, she had made "Stuffed Pasta Shells", now....this caught both mine and his attention right away and we
decided to make it for our supper.

Last night, I tried it and it came out quite good, a little too bland for my palate, but good nonetheless!

Here's what you need:

• Large Pasta Shells- as needed
• Salt to taste
  
• 24 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
• 1-2 packets- baby spinach, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs, Italian seasoned
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 medium red onion- sliced
• 2-5 cloves garlic, diced
  
• 2 cans (15 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Make the Pasta Sauce beforehand. See my old recipe for a homemade version, you can substitute a jarred one, but fresh pasta sauce makes a tremendous difference!

Cook shells in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain in a colander and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and parsley, mix until well blended.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; add onion and sauté until golden in color. Add garlic, and then the chopped spinach. Add peppers or any other veggies you like. Cook until just wilted. Season with a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cool for 10 minutes and mix it along with the cheese mix that you just prepared. You will be stuffing each pasta shell carefully with the spinach and cheese mixture.

Pour sauce into a baking dish. Carefully spoon cheese mixture into shells; arrange shells, opening side up, in tomato sauce in the pan. Pour more sauce over shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Return stuffed shells to oven and bake, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Enjoy this recipe hot out of the oven, with some garlic bread and or a salad.

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