Philadelphia, PA
- What is Chaat Dog? Desi-American Street Food. What is Chaat? (Chāt) — “to lick” or “to taste” in Hindi — is a savory snack that is ubiquitous on the streets and menus across Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
Chaat Dog: An All-beef Hot Dog
Chaat Dog: An all-beef hot dog on a ghee-toasted bun, topped with chaat and finished with cilantro chutney, tamarind-plum chutney, fried onions, a Sev & boondi crunch, fresh cilantro & pickled hot wax peppers that Chaat Dog produces make in-house. It’s a mashup of founder Shallwani’s Chicago-area upbringing (they ate a lot of hot dogs growing up) and Pakistani heritage (chaat, the savory snack that is ubiquitous on the streets and menus across Pakistan, Bangladesh and India).
The idea first came to Shallwani several years ago at a hotdog cook off for a surprise birthday party for a friend who had held a hot dog cook off fundraiser for years. Shallwani and his wife and teamed up for a bhel puri dog (potatoes, onions, garlic, chaat masala, red and green chutneys and bhel puri mix on a hot dog) that proved to be a huge hit. Chaat complements the richness of an all-beef hot dog, adding acid and balance to every bite.
