The Travelling Tikki

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Recipe: Chana Chaat

Chana chaat recipe

I don't think anyone will ever understand how much I love chaat. Deep fried aloo tikkis, samosas, crisp chillas, bhel puri and sev puri and pani puri, and dahi bhallas and papri. Everything smothered in yogurt and tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. Diced potatoes, diced onions, chilli powder. Spicy, hot, tangy, every mouthful bursting with flavour and texture. Indian street food at its best.

But, I'm on a health kick. Did you just hear a really loud arghhhhhhhhhhh? So, the challenge was to bring all those flavours together in a high protein, low carb way. 

This chana chaat recipe was the answer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Serves 4

Prep Time - 15 min

Cook Time - 45 min

Total Time - 1 hr

Chana

  1. Chickpeas in brine - 3 tins

  2. Ginger - 2 inch

  3. Garlic - 6 large cloves

  4. Onion - 1 large

  5. Green chillies - 2

  6. Coriander - 1 small bunch/large handful

  7. Coriander powder - 2 heaped tsp

  8. Turmeric - 1 tsp

  9. Cumin powder - 2 level tsp

  10. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

  11. Salt

  12. Tomatoes - 2 medium

  13. Oil - 2 tsp

Yogurt

  1. Yogurt - 500 g

  2. Cumin powder - 1 tsp

  3. Salt

  4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint chutney

  1. Coriander - 1 large bunch

  2. Mint - 1 large bunch

  3. Green chillies - 2

  4. Garlic - 4 cloves

  5. Ginger - 1 inch

  6. Sugar - 2 tsp

  7. Salt

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the onion

  2. Peel and roughly chop the ginger

  3. Peel the garlic

  4. Chop the chillies in half

  5. Chop the tomatoes

  6. Chop the coriander leaves

  7. Grind the ginger, garlic and chillies together in a blender

  8. Heat the oil on medium in a pan

  9. When hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent

  10. Add the ginger - garlic - chilli paste and sauté until the smell of raw ingredients disappears. Takes about 10 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent it all from sticking to the bottom of the pan

  11. Once the onions are turning brown and the mixture is coming together, drain and wash the chickpeas

  12. Add to the pan and mix everything through, so the chickpeas are coated evenly

  13. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, cumin powder, chilli powder and salt and mix through thoroughly

  14. Turn the heat to low, and allow to cook until the chickpeas and soft and cooked through. Mix occasionally. You may want to cover and cook for 5 minutes before cooking open

  15. Add the coriander leaves and mix through. Allow to cook for a few more minutes until the leaves are wilted completely

  16. Switch off the heat and keep aside

  17. Whisk the yogurt until smooth

  18. Add the cumin powder, chilli powder and salt

  19. Keep aside

  20. Wash and roughly chop the coriander and mint leaves

  21. Chop the chillies in half

  22. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger

  23. Blend the coriander and mint leaves, the chillies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste

  24. Add the sugar and salt and blend again

  25. Pour out into a bowl and keep aside

  26. To assemble, spoon the cooked masala chickpeas into a large bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix through gently. Pour on the yogurt (use as much as you would like - I personally like lots!), drizzle the chutney (again, I like a lot, but this is fairly hot, so taste before adding), enjoy! If you're feeling slightly indulgent, sprinkle over some aloo bhujia.