Chana Chaat Easy Recipe

I am not entirely sure if Chana Chaat is more in the category of party food, Ramadan food, or street food. Either way it’s in the category of easy to make, easy to eat, and healthy food. Winning category, no? Psst this is a cold mix and serve version, if you are looking for warm Aloo Cholay they are right here. Also fellow chaat lovers don’t forget to check out my Kala Chana Chaat, Samosa Chaat, Mixed Plate Chaat, and Bun Kabab!

Let’s Talk Chickpeas

All chickpeas are not created equal. Okay, maybe they are, but as I discussed before in this Murgh Cholay post, all of them are not well suited to Pakistani or Indian food. We commonly get two varieties of chickpeas - Kabuli which are bigger and often a little lighter, and the desi variety.

What goes in a Chana Chaat

Some convenient pantry friendly things my friends. The ‘body’ of the chaat is made of:

canned chickpeas (bonus points for softening them extra!) diced boiled potatoes diced onions cilantro mint leaves green chilies tamarind paste

The spices and flavourings are:

red chili flakes red chili powder chaat masala roasted cumin powder salt (if needed) a little bonus masala for scattering over (optional)

How do I fancy it up?

Aah my friends the possibilities are delightfully endless. Here are some ideas

serve it in individual cups, top with a dollop of yoghurt, a sprinkling of extra masala (in the recipe card) or a little cilantro and sev same mix as above, but in phyllo cups use it to create a “chaat bar” - place your separate components in individual bowls and let people create their own mix. Bonus points for adding a sweetened yoghurt like the one in my mixed plate chaat, store-bought chutneys and some crunchy toppings like sev and papri.

How do I make Imli Paste:

I like to make it in large batches when I know I will be needing it soon or when I can freeze some for later. Take a 400 g chunk of tamarind, break into pieces, and soak it in 4 cups of boiling hot water. When it’s cold enough to hold rub the pieces to loosen the imli, it’ll make a thick paste. Run the mixture through a sieve to yield 3 cups of Imli paste. If you want to see a visual for how look here.