Phuchka with New York Egg Cream

Ingredients

Phuchka:

• 20 phuchka shells, plus 4 in case of breakage

Tamarind-Apple Sauce:

• 4 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 3 cups water
• 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar (taste and decide whether the sweetness is to your liking)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black salt
• 1 tsp toasted cumin powder
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp fresh lime juice (optional)

Stuffing:

• 3 cups potatoes (approx. 3 idaho potatoes), cubed
• 2 cans (15.5 oz each) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 small green bird’s eye chilies, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tsp coriander powder, toasted
• 1 ½ tsp cumin powder, toasted
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp tamarind sauce (from the sauce made already)

Topping:

• 1 slice of the Granny Smith apple that was saved, minced into tiny bits
• 2 hard boiled eggs, grated
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Classic New York Egg Cream:

• 2 - 22 oz bottles of chocolate syrup (must be cold)
• 1 gallon very cold whole milk (good quality organic whole milk)
• 7 cans plain seltzer water, must be very cold

Instructions

Tamarind-Apple Sauce

1. 1
   Peel the apple. Core and dice it into small pieces. Save one decent sized slice of the apple to use as topping.
2. 2
   Put tamarind paste together with the apple and 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Mix well and boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and boil until the apple and tamarind softens.
3. 3
   In the meantime, toast cumin powder in a small pan on medium-low heat for a minute. Put in a little bowl and set aside.
4. 4
   When apple and tamarind pulp have softened, remove from heat. When cool enough to handle, remove any tamarind seeds, pour into a small blender and blend.
5. 5
   Using a mesh strainer, strain out fleshy parts from the blended liquid.
6. 6
   Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black salt, 1 teaspoon toasted cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon chili powder. Mix properly. The sauce should be thin and watery.
7. 7
   Taste. If it’s not tangy enough to your liking, add ½ teaspoon lime juice.

Stuffing - Eggs

8. 1
   Fill a small saucepan (for boiling eggs), fill with 2/3rd water and set to boil.
9. 2
   When water is boiling, add eggs and boil for 10 minutes.
10. 3
    When eggs are done, remove from heat, peel, and set aside on a large plate.

Stuffing - Potatoes

11. 1
    Half fill a medium pot with water and set to boil (for potatoes).
12. 2
    Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes (should have approx 3 cups).
13. 3
    To the pot with boiling water, add potatoes and cook until soft and disintegrating.
14. 4
    When potatoes are done, remove and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water to cool down.

Stuffing - Chickpeas

15. 1
    Open cans of chickpeas and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water.
16. 2
    To a large wide pot, add chickpeas together with water and boil for 7-10 minutes or until soft and disintegrating. When chickpeas have softened, drain in a separate colander.
17. 3
    Toast cumin and coriander powder in small pan on medium low heat.
18. 4
    Chop onion, chilies, and cilantro.

Assemble Stuffing

19. 1
    To a big bowl, add chickpeas and potatoes. Using the back of a large spatula, smush them so they are a bit mashed and not holding shape.
20. 2
    Add chopped onions, 3 tablespoons tamarind-apple sauce, green chilies, ½ teaspoon chili powder, a little more than half of the chopped cilantro, the toasted cumin and coriander powder and salt to taste. Mix well together (potatoes and chickpeas should be smushed in the process, they shouldn’t be holding shape). Taste test and add more salt or spices if necessary.

Toppings

21. 1
    Mince the slice of apple that was saved.
22. 2
    Using the small holes of a grater, grate the 2 boiled eggs.
23. 3
    Chop ¼ cup of cilantro.

Serving

24. 1
    When ready to serve, gently tap the phuchka shell with a spoon handle to make a little opening
25. 2
    Take a spoon of the stuffing and put into phuchka shell.
26. 3
    Top with a bit of the minced apple.
27. 4
    Next, drizzle with grated/shredded egg.
28. 5
    Lastly, sprinkle chopped cilantro.
29. 6
    Line the shells filled with stuffing on individual plates.
30. 7
    Take a small bowl and fill it with tamarind sauce. Provide a spoon. This will be a communal bowl that each person will take the sauce from using the spoon.

Eating

31. 1
    Each person should pour in some sauce from the communal bowl using the spoon, into the phuchka before plopping the phuchka into the mouth.

Classic New York Egg Cream

32. 1
    Take a tall skinny glass and add 1 part chocolate syrup.
33. 2
    Then add 3 parts milk (glass should be half full at this point).
34. 3
    Rapidly pour seltzer water into the middle of the glass. Leave half an inch at the top. Using a tall cocktail stirrer, vigorously stir the bottom thoroughly until foamy at top. Serve.