Papdi Chaat (Aloo Chana Easy Recipe)
This is the ultimate street food, but made at home. Papdi Chaat, also known as Aloo Chana Chaat, is crispy, crunchy, tangy, and spicy. I love the CRONCH, which is why my version has the addition of pomegranate and cucumbers. It goes beautifully with the crisp papdi, spiced chickpeas, and potatoes. And then you have this mix of spicy, salty, and sweet chutneys with cooling yogurt. My Nani Ami always made her own chaat masala from scratch, (the way it should be). I think of her every time I taste it—that sharp, tangy kick that ties everything together. By the way, the word chaat means to lick—because when it’s this good, you want to eat it all, and lick your bowl and your fingers!
Papdi Chaat
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- ~15-20 papdi wafers available at South Asian specialty stores
- 6 oz 200g baby potatoes, diced
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 + ½ tsp ground cayenne
- 1 cup (250g) canned chickpeas, water discarded
- 1 cup (120g)cucumber, deseeded with a spoon and finely diced
- 1 cup (115g) tomatoes, diced (I used Roma, and discarded the seeds)
- 1 cup (175g) red onion, diced
- 1 cup pomegranate arils ~ 1 pomegranate
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 1 tsp red Kashmiri chili powder or Aleppo pepper or Korean gochugaru
- ½ cup 8 Tbsp fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (240ml) full-fat yoghurt, lightly whisked
- 1 cup (240ml) date-tamarind chutney
- 1 cup (240ml) green (mint/coriander) chutney see notes for my recipe for this
- 1 red chilli thinly chopped
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. While the oil heats, pat the diced potatoes dry. Carefully tip them into the skillet and sauté, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Transfer the crispy potatoes to a bowl and toss with sea salt and ½ tsp ground cayenne.
- On a large platter, begin assembling the chaat. Layer the chickpeas first, followed by the crispy potatoes, crumbled papdi wafers, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, onions, and pomegranate arils. Sprinkle over sea salt, the remaining 1 tsp ground cayenne, chaat masala, and red Kashmiri chili powder. Scatter the fresh coriander on top. Repeat with another layer of all the ingredients, creating a stacked effect.
- To finish, generously drizzle with the whisked yogurt, green chutney, and date-tamarind chutney. Garnish with sliced red chili and serve immediately.
Notes
I have a recipe for a mint and coriander chutney which would be perfect to use in this Papdi Chaat here.
