Chingudi Chop -- Bali Jatra and Food

Ever since I left home for my engineering studies, I have never been able to to go home during the world famous "Bali Jatra" (Literal Meaning : Festival of the sand)... This is the 7 day long festivities of handloom exhibitions, farmers market, Odiya street food, Indian & international food exhibits.. and lot more...

When we were kids, we would start visiting the 'mela' preparations with Baba when the vendors will be digging holes in the ground to fix bamboos etc for their stalls.. I remember I used to say my Baba is the best because he used to take us to those 'mela' grounds even before the festivities start... silly yet true.. back then.. very simple things made me super happy..

Yes, I was a happy kid.. and a kid who loved to have deep fried food.. especially for evening snacks.. well.. I am still the happy kid who loves fried food.. :)

Here's one of the very famous Bali Jatra street food.. deep fried snack recipes.. made from shrimp..
Hope you enjoy it....

What I used...

• 1 lb Medium sized shrimps (Small is also good.. they will get shredded at the end)
• 1 cup of finely chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
• 6 -7 green chillies {Of course should be adjusted to taste}
• 1 medium size potato - boiled, peeled & mashed
• 1/2 a red onion chopped real finely
• 1/2 table spoon ginger-garlic paste {Home made please, else the taste is ruined.. trust me on this}
• 1 tea spoon turmeric powder
• 1 tea spoon cumin powder
• 1 tea spoon coriander powder
• 2 table spoons corn starch
• 4 table spoons bread crumbs {Panko will work OK, Regular bread crumbs work better}
• 1 - 2 tea spoons red chili powder {adjust to taste}
• Garam masala powder to tastes {Not mandatory, skip if you don't like}
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry the shrimps and then the "Chingudi Chops"

Process...

• Clean and marinate shrimp in salt and turmeric for about 20 mins. Longer is not needed.
• While shrimps are marinating, complete the rest of the steps for prepping mind leaves, coriander leaves, boiling & mashing the potatoes.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions + ginger-garlic paste + green chilies together till onions are brown and raw smell of ginger-garlic paste goes away.
• Add the mashed potatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt and turmeric powder.
• Mix well and remove the mixture to a plate where it can cool down.
• In the same pan, heat some more oil and fry the shrimps until they are pink and look cooked. Remember that shrimps cook way faster than bigger prawns. All they need is a little heat and they give up.
• When done, remove the shrimps and cool them. When cool, chop the shrimps in a chopper to a rough mixture.
• Now mix the mashed potatoes with the shrimps, corn starch, bread crumbs, a little more salt and garam masala powder, mint leaves & coriander leaves. Combine nicely so that all lumps are gone and you are able to shape balls of the mixture.
• Deep fry the balls (a.k.a Chingudi Chops) and drain excess oil on a tissue paper. This step is necessary for those who know what deep fried stuff can do to your tummy (and the fat in it).
• Enjoy with our very own favorite maggi tomato ketchup.