Zero Oil Channa Chaat (A low fat chickpeas-based Indian snack)

Sometimes, all you need is a comforting plate of sweet, tangy and spicy chaat. Unfortunately, chaats get a lot of bad press for being too oily and unhealthy. Thanks to the deep-fried sev, papdi and pooris that go into it.

While I agree that the deep-fried goodies add great taste to chaats, skipping them to make healthier version of the snacks does not mean compromising on the flavour.

This channa chaat is one such plate of goodness that actually has fresh and nutritious ingredients. Yes, all this without the papdi, sev or pooris, making it a perfect teatime snack.

Ingredients

  • Boiled chickpeas – 1 large cup or 1 can of chickpeas
  • Onion (medium) – 1, finely chopped + 1 tblspn for garnish
  • Tomato – 1, finely chopped
  • Potato – 2, boiled, peeled and roughly chopped
  • Tamarind-date chutney – 4 tblspns. Recipe here
  • Mint chutney – 4 tblspns (see tips)
  • Chaat masala – 1 tspn
  • Chilli powder – 1 pinch
  • Aam chur (dried mango powder) – 1/4 tspn
  • Roated cumin powder – 1/4 tspn
  • Black salt or salt – To taste
  • Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tblspns
  • Lemon juice (optional) – 1 tspn
  • Yoghurt (optional) – 1/4, whisked smooth

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, add chickpeas, chopped onions, tomatoes and potato. Mix well.
  2. Sprinkle the dry spices. Drizzle the lemon juice, tamarind-date chutney and mint chutney over the chickpeas and veggies.
  3. Mix to combine all the ingredients.
  4. Serve the chaat on a plate. Sprinkle some chopped onions, coriander leaves and whisked yogurt. Serve fresh.

Tips:

  1. Skip ingredients that you do not prefer.
  2. For the mint chutney, I ground a handful of mint and coriander leaves with green chillies and a small pinch of salt.
  3. You could add pomegranate/cucumber/finely chopped raw mango.
  4. If you want to make it indulgent, add some sev and/or papdi.
  5. If you are using canned chickpeas, discard the briny liquid from the can. Wash the chickpeas thoroughly, and then use it to make the chaat.

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