Chatpata Tangy Sizzler

I had a great time and but at the same time, I was glad to be back home not that I cooked much since I was spoiled on the holiday. Yeah, I did try the Rajasthani thali at the famous LMB in Jaipur but would not recommend it to anyone since it did not impress me. The thali had all the varities that Rajashthani would make but not have them all together!! So back home and back to what I love doing cooking and sharing the love of good and simple food...
I always feel that we spend a lot of cooking but it get's eaten in a jiffy. When I make an elaborate meal with starters and a main course of curry alongwith rice + naan, I spend hours in the kitchen but the meal is over in no time. So when I get up from the dining table even after a ravishing meal, I still feel it got over rather too fast...I could not really savor it. The only meal that I feel that I get to eat slowly, enjoying all the flavors is a sizzler!! The assortment of vegetables, cutlets, rice, etc on a very hot plate with a warm gravy ensures that the meal stays warm all the way through and you are forced to eat slowly since it is sizzling hot!!!

This time I decided to prepare a sizzler with fresh ingredients. No Chinese sauces or barbecue sauces with their high salt content. But I did a wee bit of cheating, I use freeze dried herbs since I just love them and add them in just about anything.

I used a basic tomato sauce prepared with about 2 cups puree and ground onion-garlic paste a dash of red paprika flakes. To add a barbecue flavour I add a large pinch of dark brown sugar and 1/4 tsp tamarind pulp.

I try to make the sizzler a complete meal, of course using interesting combinations. I do not really remember the proportions

1) Paneer Cutlet made with grated corn, paneer & minced green chilli, roasted jeera powder, black pepper powder and chopped corainder. I used fresh bread crumbs and 1/2 tsp corn flour for binding.

2) Boiled potatoes nicely covered with chaat masala, red chilli powder and roasted jeera powder.

3) Assortment of boiled vegetables tossed in some sesame oil with chaat masala and dried parsley+ oregano.

4) Tomato filled with couscous. I stir fried the couscous in some olive oil with garlic and pistachio slivers and dried herbs.

For a chatpata flavour, I used green chutney thickened with some bhuna dal powder and a tamarind+date chutney. Now both these chutneys are very popular with chaats and it tasted great on the sizzlers too.

I place all the three sizzler plates on the fire, allowing it to heat up, while I prepare the ingredients. I placed a rather frying pan which helps me multi-task. While the boiled vegetables are being stir fried, I also shallow fry the cutlets. The potatoes and tomotoes go next. As the ingredients get ready, I transfer them to the individual sizzler plates.The rice is a filler and can be replaced with sphagetti or some noodles. I made the sizzler once with lentil rice and the next day with a sweet corn + red & yellow pepper fried rice so you will see a mix of pictures here.

Here is the plate just before, I poured the tomato sauce on it.

The sizzler with the sauce poured on it. I like the sizzling sound. Devour it with some extra tomato sauce and top it with a spicy green chutney and a tangy-sweet tamarind-date chutney.

Now did I savour this. We could hold a good conversation at the table, enjoying the food and not really being worried that the food is getting cold :-)