Chana Chaat

Method

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1. Pat the chickpeas dry with a tea towel — wet chickpeas dilute everything.

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2. Toss them in a large bowl with the onion, tomato, cucumber and green chilli.

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3. Sprinkle over the chaat masala, toasted cumin, chilli powder and salt, and toss again.

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4. Add the tamarind chutney, lime juice and green chutney and fold through until everything is coated.

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5. Taste. It should hit sour first, then salty, then a little sweet, with the heat arriving last. Adjust with more lime or chaat masala rather than salt.

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6. Tip into a serving bowl and scatter the sev, coriander and pomegranate seeds over the top at the very last moment.

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7. Serve immediately, while the sev is still crisp.

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Chef’s Tips

• Assemble at the table. Ten minutes early and the sev is soft and the salad is watery.
• Chaat masala is not optional and has no substitute — the black salt and amchur in it are the flavour.
• Deseed the tomato and cucumber. The seeds are where the water is.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the green chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

• Masala chai
• A cold beer
• As a starter before anything

Storage & Reheating

It does not keep. The chopped vegetables can be prepared 4 hours ahead and stored separately.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.