Chana Chaat (No Yogurt Chole Chaat)

North indian style, spicy and tangy chana chaat made with boiled chickpeas, potato cubes, spice powders, chopped onion & tomatoes, fresh green herbs, tamarind chutney,sev and lemon juice. This warm chaat is one of our house favorites during winter time. Perfect to serve as a snack (tastes great at room temperature) or a warm appetizer or side dish. Vegan friendly recipe. Easily made gluten free!

Mom used to make this warm aloo chana chaat often during winter months. It is very similar to delhi matar kulcha chaat, a popular indian street food, but has some extra added toppings like crushed papdis, sev etc. Like most indian chaat recipes, it is a delighful melange of textures and flavors. 

This north indian chaat recipe is quick to make if you have leftover chole in the fridge or canned chickpeas lurking in the pantry. Boiled chopped potatoes add a delicious heartiness to this indian chickpea recipe, but can be skipped if you wish. 

Chickpeas chaat is an easy recipe full of enticing flavors from indian spices - chaat masala,crushed anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) and tangy kala namak(indian black salt). You can purchase all these spices from south asian grocery stores.

When it comes to chaat, its all in the toppings! The green chutney & tamarind chutney add spicy & sweetish tang while the green chilies bring in the heat and the crushed papdi and sev make for a a crunchy bite. If you have to have dahi in your chaat, you could also drizzle some beaten yogurt.

Chickpeas

1. I soak dry chana (chickpeas) overnight and then boil them at home. You can boil the chickpeas 2-3 days ahead. It is common practice in south asian homes to scratch boil the soaked chickpeas and honestly, the chickpea stock you get it is the best thing ever. I make it a point to add extra water to get chickpea stock whenever I boil chana for the chaat. Add it while we are going to saute the chickpeas and potatoes together. Then, when you mush a few chickpeas using the back of spoon, combined with stock, these softened chicpeas taste very creamy and give chana chaat a beautiful texture.
2. That said, in all honesty, canned chickpeas work perfectly too. Use water instead of stock while cooking.

My Recipe

I think most of you must be wondering whats the need for cooking chana before assembling it into a chaat.

1. My mom used to always make warm chole chaat and I think I like it that way the best. 
2. A little frying in oil does help to bloom the flavors of the ginger, green chillies and the spices improving the taste of chaat.
3. Texture of warmed up chana and potatoes is much softer and tastes great in chickpea chaat.
4. Warm chaats are hugely popular street foods in Delhi! I love them.

How to make chana chaat

1. In a pan, heat up the oil on medium heat. Add the finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Fry for 10-12 seconds and then add the cooked chickpeas and boiled diced potatoes.

2. Sprinkle the spices - kala namak, chaat masala powder, crushed anardana, roasted cumin powder and a little squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice.
3. Mix well so that the spices coat the chickpeas & potatoes. 
4. Add a splash of chickpea stock(or water) and mix together. In 2-3 minutes, or once the chana is warmed up,using back of spoon, smush a few chickpeas. This makes the chaat mixture a little thickish and the chana doesn't remain dry and seperate. 
5. Remove from heat and add the chopped coriander leaves while still warm.

6. Portion out the warm chaat in serving plates. Top with chopped onions, crushed papri. Add few teaspoons of green chutney. Sprinkle red chilli powder. Drizzle imli chutney. Scatter some sev on top and add grated radishes or you could also add some pomegranate arils.Serve immediately. Adjust the kind of topping and the quantity as per personal preference.

Recipe Tips

1. When it comes to chaat, personalization if the key. Everyone has different preferences as far as the sweet, spicy, tangy, salty elements go. I love my chaat sweetish spicy, while my husband is all about the salty taste. Please adjust the chaat toppings as per your taste rather than sticking to quanitities that I have mentioned.
2. You can make the chana and aloo mixture ahead but assemble the chaat only when ready to serve. It is best served warm but room temperature also tastes good. 
3. Use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes if you wish. 
4. I have use regular white chickpeas (garbanzo beans), however you can use black chickpeas (kala chana) or whole moong dal also in this recipe. 
5. You can add cucumber, grated radishes,roasted peanuts etc to add more texture and crunch.
6. If you are boiling the chana at home, add some salt while boiling. 
7. For a chilled version of this chaat, once you have prepared the chana and potato mixture, cool slightly and chiil it. Add chaat toppings only when you are serving. Some beaten yogurt taste amazing in cold chana chaat. 
8. Control the heat level in chaat by adjusting the quantity of green chillies.