Serious chaat
The team behind the Indian Chaat Corner . Pix by Indika Handuwala
Blink and you might miss it. Two narrow red boards flank the entrance to The Indian Chaat Corner on Haig Road. Inside is one of Colombo’s first truly serious chaat places. They have everything you love from Dai Puri to Pani Puri and Pav Bhaji and at least a few things you didn’t know existed.
The tiny restaurant is run by Moiez Asgerali and his wife Nazma. They opened shop a year ago, and she does all the cooking. Moiez is Sri Lankan, but discovered the joy of chaat when he married the Gujarati born Nazma 15 years ago. Now, the couple are busy introducing their favourites to Colombo.
Everything on their menu is priced at an even Rs.200, a price at which you get some decent chaat.Chaat is beloved by Indian street food aficionados for the complexity and contradictions of its flavours and textures. There’s the crunchy, salty ‘puri’ base, the soft boiled potatoes or batata; there are the crisp, curly strings of yellow sev, the dazzling sauces both tart and sweet, or sometimes hot. The freshness of raw onions, tomatoes and coriander. All combined and recombined in a series of dishes that are surprisingly distinct. Consider yourself forewarned, its addictive stuff.
Moiez tells the Mirror Magazine that he’s surprised by how many locals already know enough about chaat to order. He puts it down to Bollywood’s influence – people watch actors devouring chaat in films and want to try it for themselves. “They know what to ask for,” he says. It’s made pani puri
one of the more popular items on the menu. The dish consists of near translucent, hollow puri stuffed with potato and filled to brimming with a spicy, thin liquid. The trick is to eat them in one go, allowing the puri to burst with flavour in your mouth.
The menu also boasts a good choice of parathas and a range of curries and side dishes. There are even signature beverages likes flavoured lassi and the Mumbai classic made with shaved ice known as gola. It’s too much to try in one sitting, but enough to tempt you back for another round.
“My wife knew all this stuff and so we decided, to go into this trade,” Moiez tells the Mirror Magazine. A former maker of kerosene lamp burners, Moiez says he left the business when demand for his product dropped. Now he and Nazma run the restaurant from a small room behind their home in Colombo 4.“We run it ourselves,” says Moiez who is on duty while Nazma, who’s been ill, gets some rest. He explains they get down the ingredients they need from India, and are kept on their feet from 10am when they open to 10pm when they close.
The two also undertake catering and do big orders. Delivery is free to homes in nearby Bambalapitiya, while those farther away can make use of orderfood.lk’s services.
Call 0724100282 for more details.
(SD)