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Chana chaat is a delicious Indian recipe, that is – apparently – quite famous in India and people eat it everywhere. I’ve got to say that that is probably with good reason as it is super easy to make and very delicious! There are also as many chaat recipes as you can probably think of, so this one is highly customizable. It’s also being sold at food stalls and sometimes it is served with creamy yogurt and sometimes it is not.
What is chana chaat?
The last time I was in India is probably more than 10 years ago. Time for another trip to this amazing country but for now I’m sharing this delicious Indian style salad with you. It would be delicious with a tamarind chutney but I do not (yet) have a recipe for that. I added pomegranate for some extra crunch.
Chana is another word for chickpeas and while I have used white chickpeas here, in India you might find it using black chickpeas. I have never seen those in the store here, so I kept it to simple canned chickpeas.
Traditionally chana chaat is mixed with things like spices (chaat masala), green chilies, chopped red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and boiled potatoes. I left out the potatoes but for the rest it’s pretty much that.
How to make chana chaat
Making this chana chaat recipe is pretty simple. You heat a pan with some oil and add the onion, ginger, chili until they are soft. Add the chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes or so until they are heated through. At that moment add the spice powders in (garam masala and red chili powder) and a little salt. You can also roast the chickpeas like in this recipe for spicy toasted chickpeas.
At that point most of the work is done. Mix it with the fresh vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber, fresh cilantro, and pomegranate. I like serving it with a bit of yogurt and some papadums. You can either use the papadums for scooping up the chana chaat or you can crumble it over the salad.
In either case make sure to eat it immediately once the papadums are added as otherwise they will soften pretty quickly in the healthy salad. You can serve it with a green chutney, chaat chutney or green coriander chutney. Other spices you could add are cumin powder or green chillies. Also a splash of lime juice can be quite tasty.
Questions asked about chana chaat:
You can store it in an airtight container for a few days. Don’t add the papadums yet and add any fresh herbs shortly before serving. It’s a pretty easy recipe to make in advance as it keeps quite well.
Yes you can. That will take a lot more time though as you need to soak the chickpeas first and then cook the soaked chickpeas until they are tender. So I would go for the canned ones, for ease of use. Unless you have a pressure cooker and can cook the chickpeas quicker.
Yes they are the same. Chickpeas is the English name and garbanzo beans is the Spanish name.
That very much depends on the chilies you’ve used and how much chili powder you’ve put into the salad. You can easily decrease the heat by using less of the chili. It kind of depends on how much your taste buds are used to spices or not.
Chana chaat recipe
Ingredients
- 1 onion small, halved and sliced
- 2 cm ginger finely grated
- 1 red chili deseeded and chopped
- 2 tbsp hazelnut oil
- 300 g chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tsp chili powder mild
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 cucumber peeled, deseeded and diced
- 100 gr cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
- 4 tbsp greek yogurt
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 poppadoms roughly crushed
How to make the chana chaat
- Fry the onion, ginger and chili in the oil for 5 minutes or until the onions begins to soften. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes until golden. Add the chili powder and the garam masala and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, season if needed and set aside to cool.
- Combine the cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice and chopped coriander in a mixing bowl. Divide among 4 plates and top with the chickpea mixture, yogurt, pomegranate seeds and crushed poppadums. Sprinkle with the coriander leaves and serve before the poppadums start to soften
Notes
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for a few days. Add papadums and fresh herbs just before serving.
- Dried Chickpeas: Yes, but they require soaking and cooking. Canned chickpeas are easier unless using a pressure cooker.
- Chickpeas vs. Garbanzo Beans: Same thing—”chickpeas” (English), “garbanzo beans” (Spanish).
- Spiciness: Depends on the amount and type of chilies used. Adjust to taste.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
