A Recipe for the Addictive Indian Street Food, Chaat, from 'Indian As Apple Pie'

Indian As Apple Pie airs on WTTW Saturdays at 4:00 pm and is available to stream via the PBS app.
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Indian street food is rightfully one of the most prized in the world, ranging from the puffed, filled, and sauced shells of pani puri to fire-roasted vegetables and meats. Anupy Singla dives into some of these irresistible snacks in another episode of Indian As Apple Pie, and share a simple recipe for chaat below. 

Chunky Chaat

Loaded with meaning, chaat refers to the category of street food that North Indians live for — it's deliciously addictive. So delicious it makes you want to lick your fingers clean, another meaning of the word chaat — to lick, the way a cat licks up milk. 

You can use any beans or lentils, but black chickpeas are traditional. Chaat does not last long and should be eaten immediately. If I want to serve it to guests, I'll keep the components on hand and assemble them right before serving it. 

Ingredients

2 cups boiled Russet potato, peeled and diced
2/3 cup cooked black chickpeas 
1 yellow or red onion, minced (3/4 cup)
1-6 Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
1 small lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons tamarind chutney
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

Directions

1. In a deep bowl, add all the ingredients except the tamarind chutney and cilantro. Stir.

2. Add the tamarind and cilantro. Stir and serve immediately.