Chana chaat/chickpea salad

I had already whipped up some green (coriander) chutney and was really craving a delicious, but healthy chickpea chaat for dinner tonight (it has been a mad week for treats at work). I didn’t have chaat masala, but it’s relatively simple to knock up an easy chaat mix and is really the only effortful part of this delicious meal. A Chaat masala is mostly used as a garnish on salads, Chaats (a generic name for hot, tangy, sweet nibbles), drinks (like Indian lemonade!), curries and daals etc.  This dish can also be made with the addition of boiled potatoes to make an aloo chana chaat.


What you will need
1 tin of chickpeas
1 tomato

1/2 onion

2-3 table spoons yogurt

Fresh coriander 

Coriander chutney
1 tea spoon chaat masala

1 table spoon pomegranite pearls
1/2 a fresh lemon
Sev (shop bought is fine)

The imli chutney
1 tea spoon tamarind concentrate
50ml hot water
1-2 tea spoon sugar
1/2 tea spoon chilli powder

Firstly, set about making this easy to knock out imli (tamarind chutney). I didn’t have time to soak the seeds and then pass through a sieve, so I opted for the tamarind paste option. The chaat masala is also full of the complex spices, so this chutney didn't need to be. Mix all the imli chutney ingredients together in the hot water with a pinch of salt. Allow this to cool. If you want it a little bit thicker, you can reduce it in a pan on the hob.

Next, drain and empty the tin of chickpeas into a bowl. Add the chopped onion, tomato and coriander and season with salt. Next, stir through the chaat powder and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.

Finally and when ready to serve, top with a spoonful of plain yoghurt and a spoonful of each of the green chutney and the tamarind chutney. Garnish with a small handful of sev (a spicy, fried gram flour snack) and pomegranate pearls.

This such a delicious and fresh meal which is part of India’s culinary street food history. It can be served cold or warm. Gipsy Spread and I had this as a starter at out wedding.