The trick of this one is that the leaf keeps its shape. Whole spinach leaves are dipped in a thin gram-flour batter and fried hard so each comes out as a separate crisp shell with the leaf still readable inside it, and then — while they are still hot enough to sizzle — they are dressed cold, with whisked curd, tamarind and coriander chutneys, pomegranate seeds and sev. You get the collision the whole dish is built on: hot and crisp underneath, cold and sour on top, for about ninety seconds before the leaves surrender. It is a relative newcomer by Banaras standards, made famous by the chaat houses around Godowlia rather than handed down, and it is now the dish regulars order ahead of the tamatar chaat. Eat it standing, immediately, and do not let anyone photograph it first.
INGREDIENTS
- 24 large spinach leaves (washed and dried completely)
- 150 g gram flour (besan)
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 ml cold water
- oil (for deep frying)
- 250 g thick natural yoghurt (whisked smooth)
- 4 tbsp tamarind chutney
- 4 tbsp coriander and mint chutney
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- seeds of 1 pomegranate
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- ½ tsp black salt (kala namak)
- a handful of fine sev
- a handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
METHOD
- Dry the spinach leaves thoroughly. Any water left on them will make the batter slide off and spit in the oil.
- Whisk the gram flour, rice flour, carom seeds, turmeric, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt with the cold water into a thin batter — it should coat a spoon translucently, not thickly.
- Heat oil for deep frying until a drop of batter rises at once.
- Hold each leaf by the stalk, draw it through the batter so it is barely coated, and lower it into the oil.
- Fry three or four at a time for about 90 seconds until crisp and pale gold. Do not let them brown.
- Drain on paper. They should be rigid enough to snap.
- Arrange the hot leaves on a plate in a single layer.
- Spoon over the whisked yoghurt, then both chutneys, then the onion and pomegranate.
- Dust with roasted cumin, chaat masala and black salt, scatter with sev and coriander, and serve straight away.
