Chana Chaat | Easy Chana Chaat Recipe

Daniel Harding

Chana chaat is a tangy, sweet, and spicy South Asian chickpea salad. Described (by me) as the bad boy of Pakistani street food, this scrumptious vegetarian snack is perfect for personalising with cooling yoghurt, herby mint chutney, crunchy fried crackers, or tart tamarind.

I’ve eaten this jumble of spiced chickpeas in narrow, dusty alleyways lit by a rows of string lights in the heat of the Karachi summer as well as at low-key get-togethers and buzzing restaurants. And every time it hits differently because of a special ingredient called chaat masala.

A blend of ground chillies, black salt and amchur (mango powder), this distinctive seasoning lends dishes a mouth-puckering sour-savoury note and eggy scent. Stocked in good supermarkets, chaat masala is also delicious sprinkled over French fries, fruit salads and yoghurt dips.

My chana chaat recipe is made with canned chickpeas and shop-bought tamarind sauce to save time. I always heap crunchy bits of fried crackers, called papdi, on top; they aren’t a must but I recommend gussying up your chaat with a scattering of something crispy to create a festival of texture in each mouthful. Sev (those thin, crunchy, noodly bits found in Bombay mix) or crushed poppadoms are brilliant papdi substitutes. I also swear by yassifying a chana chaat by squashing a freshly fried samosa on top so it’s hot filling deliciously squidges out of its pastry seams.

The beauty of this recipe is you can the toppings to your tastes; more chaat masala and chillies for heat, a bigger dollop of yoghurt for cooling creaminess or a sprinkling of extra crispy bits for a carbier crunch.

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Makes:



4

Total Time:

0



hours

10



mins

2

x 400g canned chickpeas, drained

2

tomatoes, finely chopped

1

red onion, peeled and finely diced

250

g

boiled potatoes, chunkily chopped

1/4

tsp.

each black salt and sea salt

For the toppings

1

green chilli, thinly sliced

Chaat masala, for sprinkling

1

tbsp.

chopped fresh coriander

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1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the toppings, and mix well so every chickpea is coated in the salt and spices. 


2. To serve in one sharing bowl, dollop over the yoghurt and drizzle on the tamarind sauce. Top with the sliced chillies, coriander and sprinkle over a pinch more chaat masala. Pile on the papadi or sev.For individual servings split the chana chaat into 4 dishes and the divide the toppings equally.

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