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Chana Chaat (Tangy Chickpea Salad)

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Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Course: Main Course

Description

Chana Chaat is a medley of sweet, spicy and tangy flavours from the streets of South Asia where it is considered a ‘quick on the go’ snack. Chaat is one of my favourite dishes as it can be put together very quickly and works well as lunch, snack or a side dish. It also allows creative play with a wide variety of ingredients, so if you don’t have an item on hand it is easy to substitute with another.

Ingredients

Date and Tamarind Chutney

  • 1.5 cups of Pitted Dates
  • 1/2 cup of Tamarind
  • to taste Jaggery
  • 2 tsp of Red Chilli powder
  • 2 tsp of Cumin powder
  • Salt, add to taste

Chaat

  • 4 cups of Chickpeas
  • 1 tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 1/2 to 1 Red Onion, finely chopped (depends on the size of the onion)
  • 1 medium Carrot, diced
  • 3 Mini cucumbers, diced
  • 4 tbsp of Coriander, chopped
  • 2 tbsp of Chana Chaat (Tangy Chickpea Salad), chopped
  • 1 cup of Pomegranate seeds
  • 1 1/4 tsp of Cumin powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp of Chilli powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp of Black salt
  • Salt, add to taste
  • 1 1/4 tsp of Dried Mango Powder (Amchur Powder)
  • 1/2 Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 1/4 cup of Date and Tamarind Chutney

Optional

  • 2 Green chillies, finely chopped (optional)

Equipment

Instructions

    Date and Tamarind Chutney

    • Heat 2.5 cups of water in a saucepan on medium heat; add the dates and allow it to cook in the water until soft and tender.
    • Discard the water in the tamarind bowl, remove any tamarind seeds and add to the saucepan. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the tamarind and date mixture start to boil.
    • Turn off the heat and cool the mixture then puree to your preferred consistency. For this recipe I like a medium consistency, not watery but not very thick either. Step 4 Strain the chutney mixture through a fine sieve to remove any residue. Step 5 Store the Date and Tamarind Chutney in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. This chutney will last a long time, so you can make big batches and store in the fridge.
    • Strain the chutney mixture through a fine sieve to remove any residue.
    • Store the Date and Tamarind Chutney in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. This chutney will last a long time, so you can make big batches and store in the fridge.

    Chaat

    • Soak the chickpeas overnight in water and add 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Bicarb soda is good for tenderizing chickpeas and pre-soaking makes it more digestible).
    • Once they are soaked, drain the water and pressure cook them for 12-14 minutes, drain and keep aside to cool. Alternately they can be boiled until tender.
    • Take a large bowl and add the following to it: cooled chickpeas, onions, cucumbers, carrots, green chillies, salt and all the dry spices. Mix all the ingredients very well with a spoon.
    • Add the Date and Tamarind Chutney and lemon juice and mix well.
    • Cover and place the bowl in the fridge for 2-4 hours. This allows the flavours from the spices and the chutney to be absorbed into the chickpeas. If there is no time, then it can be served right away.
    • When ready garnish with pomegranate seeds, coriander and mint leaves.

Notes

I don’t usually like to mix fruit with my meals but in this case the Pomegranate blends so well with the medley of flavours, adds a juicy bite to the dish and since it is just a few seeds, I feel it is a justified exception. Chana Chaat is a nutritious dish that contains Proteins, Carbohydrates and High Fibre from chickpeas. The Quercetin and Bioflavonoids from the onion help scavenge the free radicals and the Vitamin A from carrots is essential for eye health. In addition, the Cucumbers help flush out toxins and keep the body hydrated..