Chaat Party

Name: Chaat Party
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Varies
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 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

Recipe from Maneet Chauhan

Adapted by Priya Krishna

Chaat Party — Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 10 minutes, for assembly
Rating: 4(398)
Notes: Read community notes

The beauty of chaat — a category of tangy, sweet, fiery and crunchy Indian snacks — is that it’s built for customization. The only common denominator is that alchemy of flavor sensations, often driven by a combination of sweet-and-sour tamarind chutney, a bright herb chutney (like this cilantro-mint chutney or this green chile chutney) and cooling raita. Otherwise, base ingredients and toppings (and even those chutneys!) can all be interchanged. This spirit is the driving force behind Maneet Chauhan’s chaat party, from her cookbook, “Chaat” (Clarkson Potter, 2020), a choose-your-own-adventure spread that allows eaters to build a chaat suited to their tastes: More crunch! Less spicy! More sweet! More herbs! It’s entirely up to you. This is a great way to entertain, and also a quick, no-cook dinner. Use this list as a starting point for ingredients, but feel free to get creative. If you are able to get banana leaves, spread them out over the table before arranging everything else on top for a bright pop of color. —Priya Krishna

Featured in: Chaat Is More Than the Sum of Its Many Flavors

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Ingredients

Yield:Varies

For the Crunchy Bases

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)

For the Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs

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

For the Sauces

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)

For Other Toppings

Roasted peanuts and cashews
Chaat masala
Red chile powder
Sev

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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.

Ratings

4 out of 5

398 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Prakash Nadkarni4 years ago

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").

A3 years ago

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.

S4 years ago

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.

Avani1 year ago

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.

Avani1 year ago

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 Bishop1 year ago

Can you recommend a reliable online source for ingredients?

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