To make the green chutney:
In a blender jar, place chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, garlic or ginger, salt to taste and blend to a fine paste.
Remove to a bowl, add lemon juice, mix well. Keep aside
To make the red chutney:
In a small saucepan, heat oil.
Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes till slightly soft.
Add red chilli powder, tamarind/tamarind paste, tomatoes and fry again for about 2 to 3 minutes more.
When cool, transfer to blender jar and make a fine paste. Remove to a small bowl.
Add salt to taste and keep aside.
Now, the chutneys are ready.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Wash, peel and grate beetroots and carrots.
Finely slice onions. (My food processor did the hard work!!)
In a bowl, mix grated beets, carrots, onions, finely chopped coriander leaves, green chilles and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and mix well. Keep aside.
ASSEMBLING SALEM SETS:
Apply red chutney to one side of half of the thattu vadais.
Place a teaspoon or two of the filling (be generous) over the crispies. Top with few kernels of spicy peanuts and some boondis (optional).
Smear the rest half of the savory crisps with green chutney.
Gently top the filled thattu vadais like a sandwich and serve these crispy and spicy savory sandwiches immediately.
If you cannot get thattu vadais, you can try using papdis (a north Indian deep-fried flour crispy normally used in chaats) or even some salty crackers like Monaco biscuits or even Ritz crackers! For a more North Indian flavor, you can use tamarind chutney instead of the tomato-onion chutney.
Notes
If you do not have thattu vadais, you can use papdis (north Indian savory flour crispies mainly used in chaats) or even salt biscuits like Monaco biscuits, Ritz crackers etc.
During mango season, you can add grated raw mangoes to the filling to give a new sour dimension to the sandwich set.
Make sure the chutneys are spicy for a tasty treat. If you have access to spicy variety of thattu vadais (like mine) use them; Salem thattu vadai sets will taste much better.
For a north Indian touch with flavors of chaat, you can use chaat masala in the filling along with tamarind chutney instead of tomato chutney. Addition of sev (deep fried chickpea batter fine noodles) makes it crunchier.
Enjoy this unique street food from the southern state of Tamilnadu!
