Chaat Party
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, for assembly
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:Varies
- Chakri (chickpea flour crackers)
- Chekkalu (rice flour crackers)
- Thattai (spiced rice flour and sesame crackers)
- Namak para (spiced whole-wheat flour crackers)
- Bhel (puffed rice)
- Murukku (wheat flour crackers)
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, mangoes and radishes, coarsely chopped
- Boiled potatoes, coarsely chopped
- Roasted sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped
- Cilantro and mint, coarsely chopped
- Onions and fresh ginger, finely chopped
- Fresh red chiles, such as Kashmiri or bird’s eye, and green chiles, such as serrano, finely chopped
- Starfruit, sliced
- Roasted corn kernels
- Lemon and lime wedges, for spritzing
- Tamarind Chutney
- Cilantro-Mint Chutney
- Green Chile Chutney
- Raita (whole-milk yogurt whisked with water to make it thin enough to drizzle, then seasoned with salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice)
- Roasted peanuts and cashews
- Chaat masala
- Red chile powder
- Sev
For the Crunchy Bases
For the Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
For the Sauces
For Other Toppings
Preparation
- Step 1
Put each item in an individual bowl alongside a stack of larger bowls to enable your guests to mix up their chaat with a spoon or, more traditionally, their hands.
- Step 2
As a starter suggestion for assembly: Begin with a crunchy base (crackers, bhel or murukku), add vegetables and fruits, then chutneys and raita, and finally lime juice, plus any combination of other toppings, such as chaat masala, red chile powder and sev. Improv and adjustments are encouraged.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Prakash Nadkarni
Very good recipe. Improvise with whatever fruits, vegetables and crunchy stuff (tortilla chips, kettle potato chips, cheese curls,Chex work well) are around: it's the sauces/condiments that make it chaat. The term "raita" (see Wikipedia - etymology from "ra-ee", Hindustani for mustard seed) strictly refers to spiced, salted yoghurt (optionally diluted) PLUS something else: chopped/grated vegetables - (e.g., cucumber, like tzatziki) or deep-fried chickpea-flour pearls ("boondi").
A
My family would do this all the time during summer when I was growing up. My mother always offered sprouted lentils and cooked chickpeas. These add heft and protein and take it from being a not so healthy snack to a real meal.
S
Just saying: all the items listed under 'crunchy base' can be found at your nearest Indian store, or online. Or experiment with tortilla or corn chips, various types of grocery store crackers, Chex Mix, etc.
AP
Save the fruit for a fruit chaat (except for a pomegranate seed sprinkle on top). Could also skip the fresh ginger -- it's so sharp! Add legumes -- garbanzos (black would be even better) or whatever you have on hand. And a chile-garlic chutney as well (in a pinch, use a sambal or whatever utilitarian one you have in your refrigerator). It's about texture and awakening every part of your tongue with different flavors.
Jennie
Then by all means wait until the pandemic is over to hold your chaat party! This recipe isn't going anywhere.
Pattie
How do we eat this? Big spoons?
Deb
I would call this bhel puri, which I learned to love years ago eating out in wonderful London Indian restaurants and then made at home. My version doesn't contain fruits, though, or corn.
Alex
Recipe needs more specifics with regard to how to roast sweet potatoes and corn kernels. Also, what sort of potatoes? (Does it matter?)
Avani
Trader Joe's sesame sticks make an excellent crunchy base hitting the right texture and flavor notes. Definitely leave out the fruits for a fruit chaat (maybe except pomegranate seeds as another tip suggested) and layer like you would layer a plate/tray of nachos. You could also simply put all of the components out in separate bowls and let each person customize assembly to their own taste.
Avani
Trader Joe’s sesame sticks are an excellent option for the crunchy base - they don’t get soggy easily and have the right flavor profile too!
Leslie Bishop
Can you recommend a reliable online source for ingredients?
Susan
What is Chaat masala?
Jamie
Delightful. I used chopped samosas as the base, sprinkled the crunchy stuff on top, and called it dinner.
AP
Save the fruit for a fruit chaat (except for a pomegranate seed sprinkle on top). Could also skip the fresh ginger -- it's so sharp! Add legumes -- garbanzos (black would be even better) or whatever you have on hand. And a chile-garlic chutney as well (in a pinch, use a sambal or whatever utilitarian one you have in your refrigerator). It's about texture and awakening every part of your tongue with different flavors.
Pattie
How do we eat this? Big spoons?
A
My family would do this all the time during summer when I was growing up. My mother always offered sprouted lentils and cooked chickpeas. These add heft and protein and take it from being a not so healthy snack to a real meal.
Alex
Recipe needs more specifics with regard to how to roast sweet potatoes and corn kernels. Also, what sort of potatoes? (Does it matter?)
Deb
I would call this bhel puri, which I learned to love years ago eating out in wonderful London Indian restaurants and then made at home. My version doesn't contain fruits, though, or corn.
S
Just saying: all the items listed under 'crunchy base' can be found at your nearest Indian store, or online. Or experiment with tortilla or corn chips, various types of grocery store crackers, Chex Mix, etc.
Prakash Nadkarni
Very good recipe. Improvise with whatever fruits, vegetables and crunchy stuff (tortilla chips, kettle potato chips, cheese curls,Chex work well) are around: it's the sauces/condiments that make it chaat. The term "raita" (see Wikipedia - etymology from "ra-ee", Hindustani for mustard seed) strictly refers to spiced, salted yoghurt (optionally diluted) PLUS something else: chopped/grated vegetables - (e.g., cucumber, like tzatziki) or deep-fried chickpea-flour pearls ("boondi").
NBennison
I love making pani puri so I’m eager to give this a try. However, parties in general, but particularly one where guests assemble their food, seems ill-advised during a pandemic.
Jennie
Then by all means wait until the pandemic is over to hold your chaat party! This recipe isn't going anywhere.
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