The largest citrus fruit in the Rutaceae family and the main ancestor of the grapefruit is the pomelo, Citrus maxima. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit that is indigenous to Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, pomelo, which has a flavour similar to sweet grapefruit, is frequently eaten and utilised in festive events.
There are benefits to having the largest grapefruit. Due to its rarity, the region develops special regional recipes. Being regional, it goes by a variety of names in the regional dialects. Assamese Robab Tenga, Bengali Batabi Lebu or Jambura, Malayalam Kambili Naranga, Tamil Bablimas, Nepalese Bogate, and Hindi Chakotra are examples of similar terms. All pomelo are the same. We have three different types of chakotra chaat , an Indian pomelo salad, here. All three contain no oil, no nuts, no grains, and no gluten.
Uttarakhand Chakotra Chaat
Even though there are only a few ingredients, this regional chaat recipe is a favourite in the winter. Fresh green garlic is mashed with hot chillies and black salt to provide a unique flavour. Chakotra chaat is unmistakably loved thanks to the pomelo pearls' explosion of sweet-tangy juice.
Assamese Robab Tenga
The Assam preparation is another variation of this. Pomelo's arils are all that is needed to make robab tenga, which is basically crushed chilies, sugar, and chopped coriander leaves with a dash of mustard oil.
Bengali Batabi Lebu Makha
This variation differs with the use of kasundi, or mustard sauce. Start by cutting the pomelo into segments, about a cup. salt crushed and green chillies should be combined and added. Add roughly a tsp of kasundi and a teaspoon of sugar. Once well combined, batabi lebu makha is ready.
Common Ingredients Added To The Pomelo Chaat
Pomelo: The largest grapefruit type grown worldwide is the pomelo, or Citrus maxima. Pink and yellow are the available hues for the flesh. This fruit has long been a favourite because of its distinct flavour, which is softer but still grapefruit-like.
Black Salt: The Himalayan black salt, which has a sulphurous, strong scent, is a core component in chaat recipes. Rock salt, which is ground into a pink powder, has a dark colour from the iron compounds in it.
Green garlic: Green garlic is young garlic, not mature garlic. It is a winter produce that is extensively used in Pahadi cookery.
Green chill: The chaat dish needs the fire that the chilli provides. So, for this recipe, use Serrano or Bird's eye chilli. Remove the seeds from the Serrano pepper before using it if you're not a fan.
Make your own chaat
Ingredients:
2 cup pomelo
1 medium green chilli
2-3 small pieces black salt, pounded
4-5 garlic scapes, pounded
Method:
Separate the pomelo parts, then take the pearls out. Avoid having clusters by separating the pearls as much as you can. Add to a mixing bowl. Combine the green garlic scapes, black salt, and green chilies in a mortar and pestle. Combine it with the pomelo. The chaat is prepared.
Tip
Taste the pomelo and assess its sweetness to determine how sweet it should be before attempting any of these dishes. The bitter and tangy flavours are also important to take note of. When making the Indian pomelo salad, aim to strike a balance between these factors.
