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Two bowls of chana chaat on top of a plate.
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5 from 6 votes

Chana Chaat

Chana Chaat (also known as chole chaat) is a classic Pakistani and Indian street food made from chickpeas, onions, tomatoes and spiced with chaat masala. It’s super easy to make, a perfect tea-time and party snack.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Soaking Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 55 minutes
Course: Snack, Snacks
Cuisine: Pakistani
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 159kcal
Author: Kiran

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup dried chickpeas or 1 can (400g) of chickpeas see note 1
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 green chilli, sliced (remove seeds)
  • 4 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves / coriander, chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala (plus more for garnish)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice see note 2 for substitutions

Instructions

  • Soak chickpeas overnight in water. Make sure to use a large bowl as the chickpeas will double in size.
  • Boil dried chickpeas in salted water for about 45 minutes till tender. A pressure cooker can also be used, and in that case the chickpeas will not need to be soaked. The time for pressure cooking will be about 30 minutes.
  • If you are using canned chickpeas, make sure to drain the liquid from the can and rinse before using.
  • Place the chickpeas in a large bowl. Add diced tomatoes, diced onions, green chili, coriander and salt, chaat masala and lemon juice. Mix well.
  • Let it sit for about 10 – 15 minutes to let the flavours develop. Adjust seasonings if required.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and chaat masala before serving.

Notes

  1. Both dried as well as canned chickpeas can be used in this recipe. Dried chickpeas can be boiled in advance and stored in the fridge for upto 2 days, or in the freezer for upto 3 months. If you enjoy chana chaat regularly, it's a good idea to boil a big batch of chickpeas and then make packet to keep in the freezer. Just thaw and use as needed.
  2. Instead of lemon juice, tamarind paste (imli paste) or tamarind chutney (imli chutney) can also be used in this recipe. To make tamarind paste, break a chunk of tamarind from a block of seedless tamarind (available at Indian, Pakistani or Asian stores) and place it in a bowl. Add hot water, and soak the tamarind. Once the water is lukewarm, use a spoon or your hands to loosen the imli. It will turn into a thick paste - pass this mixture through a sieve to get tamarind paste. As much as I love the taste of tamarind, it can be a chore to make the paste or chutney, so for convenience, I use lemon. However, if you have it available, do try it out. 

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
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