A delicious salad which has the flavors of an Indian street side chaat.
Chaat typically refers to a savory snack that is usually served in the road side stalls in India. They are easy to make and with a little bit of prep, very easy to put together. They usually have a lot of elements in it, some crunchy, some soft, some fresh but always with lots of flavor. When you put them all together, they create an explosion of flavors in your mouth.
This sweet potato and chickpea chaat is sweet, salty, tangy and fresh! The crunch from the sev (crispy fried noodles usually made with chickpea flour) and peanuts, bite from the chickpea/ channa, freshness from the pom pearls and cilantro makes this a really addictive dish to eat anytime of the day. -Preethi Venkatram, @cookingwithpree
FOR THE CHAAT
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes – diced
1 can chickpeas (can also soak and boil the chickpea with some salt)
1/2 small red onion chopped very fine
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
3 tbps peanuts
2 tbsp cilantro mint chutney
2 tbsp tamarind date chutney (we like the Deep Indian Kitchen’s line of frozen chutneys)
2 tbsp yogurt
Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish
½ tsp chaat masala
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp chilly powder (optional)
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup sev (can substitute with something crunchy or just replace it with more peanuts)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil (avocado oil/ peanut oil/ olive oil)
Method:
Pre heat the oven to 425 F
Add the oil to a bowl and add the cubed sweet potatoes to it.
Sprinkle the chaat masala, cumin powder, chilly powder and mix so that the sweet potato is coated in the spices.
Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes or until they turn soft and get roasted slightly.
Now, add the cooked sweet potatoes, canned chickpeas, pom pearls, chopped onions, peanuts, chopped cilantro to a platter and mix.
Drizzle the sweet chutney, green chutney, yogurt as needed on top.
Top with lots of crunchy sev.
You can sprinkle more chaat masala at this stage if you wish
Serve immediately.
For green chutney - Cilantro Mint chutney
(I like “Deep” brand frozen mint chutney available in the Indian stores. But if you want to make it at home, you can follow this recipe)
Ingredients
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh mint
1 green chilly (adjust to taste)
1 small inch ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
A pinch of black salt (optional)
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup yogurt (optional)
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a blender and grind until you get a smooth paste.
Refrigerate it and use on salads, sandwiches etc
For the Sweet chutney – Tamarind date chutney
(Again, easily available in most Indian stores)
Ingredients
10 dates (seeds removed)
¼ cup packed tamarind without seeds
1/3 cup jaggery (can substitute with sugar or coconut sugar)
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp black salt
¼ tsp red chilly powder
Salt to taste
A pinch Asafoetida
½ tsp ginger powder
Method:
Add the dates and tamarind to a pan and add 2 cups of water.
Let it come to a boil.
When it comes to a boil, reduce and let it simmer until the dates and tamarind become soft. (add extra 4 to 1/2 cup water if needed)
When they come soft, switch off the flame, add the salt, asafoetida, red chilly powder, black salt, cumin powder, ginger powder and jaggery.
Mix until the jaggery dissolves in the heat.
Now grind everything to a smooth paste.
Strain and discard the pulp if any.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for later use.
Links for some of the items mentioned here –
For this recipe, Preethi used our Skali Coupe Collection
CHAAT MASALA - https://www.amazon.com/Shan-Chaat-Masala-Seasoning-100g/dp/B000MSS6CO/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=CHAAT+MASALA&qid=1617113155&sr=8-9
