Chana Chaat (chickpea chaat) is a popular street food from India. It is made with boiled chickpeas, fresh veggies and chutneys.
It’s tangy, sweet, spicy and lip smacking good.
What is a Chaat?
Chaat or Chat ( means to lick) is a savory snack from India. They can be made with fresh or cooked veggies, puffed rice, puri or bhel mix.
They are typically served in road side stalls and have complex flavors which give you sweet, tangy, salty, spicy and crunchy taste in every bite.
Indians love chaat and can never say NO to this iconic food. When the weather gets warm, I look forward to making chaat for snack or dinner time.
As much as I love Bhel Puri or Samosa Chaat, I have been enjoying making chaat with veggies and sprouts too.
Some of our recent favorites are Boiled Peanut Chaat, Spicy Corn Chaat and Sprouted Green Moong Dal Chaat.
Ingredients needed to make the Chickpea Chaat:
There are many layers which go into making a good chaat. One of the main components are the chutneys and the spices. Here is what we used-
Veggies –
Step by Step Instructions –
Cooking the Chickpeas-
Wash and soak1 cup of chickpea in water for 8 hours. After 8 hours drain the water, add fresh water and salt and cook the chickpeas till done.
I cooked them in the instant pot. For the soaked chickpeas, add 3.5 cups of water,½ teaspoon of salt and pressure cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Making the Chole Chaat –
To a large bowl add the cooled chickpeas, onion, tomato, cucumber, coriander, salt, chaat masala and red chili powder. Mix it gently.
Add the coriander mint chutney, date chutney and lemon juice and mix it again.
Add the yogurt and mix it well.
Taste and adjust the seasoning
To Serve-
You can serve it as is or with some sev or spicy peanuts.
But if you want to make it fancy, to a plate add the chana chaat, little more chutneys, yogurt, sev, spicy peanuts, little bit of onion, tomato, coriander and a drizzle of yogurt. Serve immediately!
Frequently Asked Questions
Boiled Peanuts, bhel mix, corn or sprouts.
Yes, yogurt can be skipped.
Indian store or online.
More Indian Street Food –
Indian Street Style Corn Salad
Punugulu (made with dosa batter)
If you tried this Chana Chaat, do share your feedback in the comment section below. For more recipes, follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
Chana Chaat | Chickpea Chaat
Ingredients
For Coriander Mint Chutney –
- 2 cups coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mint
- 2 tablespoon roasted peanuts
- 2 green chili
- ½ inch ginger
- 2 small garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 – 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
- ¼ cup water or as needed
For Chickpeas
- 1 cup dry chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3.5 cups water
Other ingredients
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- ¾ cup cucumber, thinly diced
- 3 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon mild red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ cup yogurt ( thin it with 1 tablespoons of water)
- 1- 2 tablespoon coriander mint chutney
- 1 tablespoon date chutney available in Indian stores
- lemon or lime juice to taste
- salt to taste
- sev as per taste
- crunchy peanuts as per taste
Instructions
Cooking the Chickpeas
- Wash and soak 1 cup of chickpea in water for 8 hours. After 8 hours drain the water, add fresh water and salt and cook the chickpeas till done.
- I cooked them in the instant pot. For the soaked chickpeas, add 3.5 cups of water,½ teaspoon of salt and pressure cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Coriander Mint Chutney
- Add all the ingredients and water and blend until smooth. Scrape down the side and grind again. If needed adjust the amount of water.
- Use the chutney as needed and store the rest in the refrigerator or freezer.
Making the Chaat –
- To a large bowl add the cooled chickpeas, onion, tomato, cucumber, coriander, salt, chaat masala and red chili powder. Mix it gently.
- Add the lemon juice, coriander mint chutney and date chutney and mix it again.
- Add the yogurt and mix it well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve it as is with some sev or spicy peanuts.You can also serve the chaat topped with more chutneys, yogurt, sev, spicy peanuts, little bit of onion, tomato, coriander and a drizzle of yogurt. Serve immediately!
Sujatha
Yummy