Black Chana Chaat

Chaats are Indian appetizers and snacks, found widely all throughout India at casual restaurants, street stands, and parties. Chaat means ‘to taste’ in Hindi, and most of it are small dishes. Chaat took advantage of the variety of spices available in India ranging from spiced crisp breads called puris to a very spicy parathas or stuffed bread which may be filled with almost anything. Like most Indian cuisine, chaat is a varied dish. Most Indian regions have their own specialties of chaat. The Wiki says, that Chaat has the origins in the North West Gujarat of India but Uttar Pradesh is equally famous for it now.

Deep-fry is the most common method of preparation of most chaat dishes, such as samosas and Pakoras, and they may be savory and sweet. Designed as finger food, eating chaat can be a messy and noisy experience. Many chaats are made stuffed in bread, while others go with side bread that is used to scoop up the chaat. Wide variety of dipping sauces like spicy ground chili dips or yogurt raita are served with chaat, along with various garnishes and relishes.

Rebecca of Chow and Chatter had asked me to write a guest post on Black Chana Chaat a few months back and it completely slipped out of my mind. While going through my old emails I  was reminded about this but as I was very very late I did not have the guts to ask her again, so  thought of making this for her. I am genuinely sorry Rebecca and this post is especially for you. I hope you will enjoy reading the recipe as much as we enjoyed eating it.

Black Chana is extremely nutritious and a good source of Zinc, Folate and Protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and hence a healthy source of carbohydrates for people with insulin sensitivity or diabetes.

I usually make the very dry version of black chana for lunch box but this method requires the Black chana to be coated and covered with the spices with a hint of moistness. The chana should not be overly spiced but at the same it should not be bland. What needs to be ensured is that the chana is cooked properly to a very soft texture so that it imbibes all the spices. With chutneys on top and the various garnishes this dish just tastes awesome.

Here goes the recipe…

Ingredients For Chana

3-1/2 cups boiled Black Chana
oil for cooking
1/4 tsp baking soda
3-4 tbsp coriander pwd
3 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
2 tbsp amchoor pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp jeera pwd
Ingredients for green chutney
1 cup coriander
1 cup mint
2 garlic pods
1/2 lemon’s juice
2 tbsp onions
salt to taste
Ingredients for curds
7-8 tbsp thick curds
salt to taste
black salt
water
sweet tamarind chutney
other ingredients
chaat masala
finely chopped green chilies (optional)
red chili pwd
roasted cumin pwd
chopped coriander
fine sev
chopped onions
chopped tomatoes
Method of making Black Chana Masala
Soak the chana in water for 7-8 hrs. Cook it in a pressure cooker along with some salt and baking soda till it’s very soft.
Heat oil, put turmeric pwd and then immediately put the boiled chana with some water. Add all spices mentioned under Chana, mix properly and cook covered for another 10 mins till  most of the water dries and the spices are well coated on the Chana.
Assembling the Chaat (please adjust the spices and chutneys according to your taste)
In a dish take some  Black Chana Masala. Put 3-4 tbsp curds followed by 2 tsp of sweet chutney and 4-5 tsp of green chutney.
Put chopped onions and tomatoes, some chopped green chilies.
Sprinkle some red chili pwd, chaat masala, roasted cumin pwd.
Now put enough Sev to cover the entire chaat.
Finally put some chopped coriander to garnish.
Serve it immediately.


I had made this as an evening snack for the family and all of us enjoyed it thoroughly. Right now too looking at the pics my mouth’s watering as I am reminded of the taste. It is an extremely healthy and filling snack item for kids. Chane ki Chaat aur Swaad Laajawab!!!
Sending it off to Asankhana’s Lets Celebrate with Colours- Holi Event and MLLA-21 guest hosted by Mirch Masala and is the brainchild of Susan.