“The Desi urge to twist even the simplest of things to fit the Desi mind”- this sentence hit in the middle of a conversation about food with a very dear friend last night. And I couldn’t agree with it more. I mean just by looking around ourselves we can see myriads of foods that are being twisted to match the desi palate. From desi Chinese dishes like chilli potato and gobi Manchurian to typical Italian dishes with a desi twist tandoori penne pasta, we Indians love tweaking global dishes to suit our palates.
Upon conversing over the same topic, we started blabbering over a lot of dishes and cooking methods that aren’t Indian but have the potential to be desi. One of them was the charcuterie board. For the unversed, charcuterie is a display/platter consisting of meats, cheese, some snacks, dressings and a few sweets like figs and dates to balance the flavours. Upon mentioning the same, my friend mockingly said- “Indians ko charcuterie ko ‘chaat’-cuterie banane mein zyaada waqt nahi lagega” and it hit me that it wasn’t a bad idea after all. And as we all are busy prepping for the new year, a ‘chaat’-cuterie board can actually be the star of the show. Here are some rules you can follow to make it.
1. Star Of The Show
As meat is the showstopper of a typical charcuterie board, you need to replace it with something equally filling and popular. For instance, you can begin by adding samosas and pani puri to your platter.
2. Spruce It Up With Chutneys
Needless to say, no Indian chaat is complete without a flavourful chutney that will make your palate go gaga. Add mint and coriander chutney, tamarind chutney and spicy red chutney to maintain the balance of flavours. You can also add a small bowl of plain curd to top your pani puris.
3. Whatta Snacc
When it comes to snacks, we Indians can name a thousand. Play up with your choice of snacks to add to your platter. You can add mathris, bhujia and namkeens to your platter to complete it. Bhel puri is a great option too.
4. The Sweet Side
The incorrigible Indian sweet tooth is capable enough to name and add a variety of Indian sweets to it. however, if you ask me, I would go with jalebis and ladoos. Both these dishes are filled with memories of gobbling them down on the streets and can add the apt vibe to the platter.
Mouth-watering enough, isn’t it? So, why wait for more? Try this ‘chaat’-cuterie today and let us know how it tantalized your palate.
