Kala chana chaat is a tangy and tasty snack made from black chickpeas. It is much similar to the green chana chaat that one gets at juhu beach in Mumbai.
Whenever we would go to juhu beach in Mumbai, our trip to the beach was not complete without having the Chana chaat Besides having the rest of the chaat food like Pani puri, Bhel puri, Sev puri, Pav bhaji.
This chaat is often sold on the beaches in Mumbai as well as near the railway stations. Its english name would be a black chickpea salad but I prefer not to call it a salad.
Salads are boring… Not a chaat… 😉
Of course it is a different thing altogether if you can convert a boring salad into a creative, flavorful & tasty Chaat….
Firstly a Chaat is spicy, sweet, tangy and hot. There are so many flavors, tastes and textures bursting in your mouth that you want to go for more and more.
This black chickpeas chaat Is spicy, tangy and can be hot if you add some more chilies to it. This also serves as an excellent starter and can be served both warm and chilled.
Plus it makes for a good evening snack with a light tea and some evening news reads…..
This kala chana chaat is one of those street foods which is healthy:
✓ no oil
✓ no sugar
✓ no fat
✓ high protein
✓ low carbs
✓ vegan
✓ gluten free.
Ok stop dassana… How many clichéd food categories are you going to add more 😕
One more…. One more 😛
Besides the cooked chickpeas… Everything is raw… So I can add it to the raw food category too 🙂
All you need are some Cooked black chickpeas and the rest is easily available in your kitchen. Feel free to add some grated carrot or grated/chopped cucumber or boiled potatoes to make it more healthy. finally the chaat can be also had with some warm toasted bread.
If you are looking for more Chaat recipes then do check:
- Aloo chaat
- Fruit chaat
- Papdi chaat
- Chana chaat (with white chickpeas)
- Corn chaat.
Kala Chana Chaat
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black chickpeas (kala chana) or 2.5 to 3 cups cooked black chickpeas
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 1 small raw mango, peeled and finely chopped (optional) - the one i added was a little ripe
- 1 to 2 green chilies, finely chopped or minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice or add as required
- ½ teaspoon black salt - add more if required
- some chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
cooking kala chana
- Soak the dry chickpeas overnight or for 8-9 hours.
- Once they are soaked, drain the water.
- In a pressure cooker add the soaked chickpeas with enough water.
- Pressure cook for 6-7 minutes or till the chickpeas are cooked well.
- Once the pressure cooker cools down, drain the cooked chickpeas
making kala chana chaat
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients including the black chickpeas.
- Mix well.
- Taste and if required add more of the spice powders or salt.
- Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves. Serve kala chana chaat warm.
- You can also refrigerate and serve it cold.
- Before serving just garnish with some coriander leaves and lemon wedges.
Notes
Tips for making kala chana chaat
- The spice powders, black salt, green chilies and lemon juice can be adjusted as per your taste preferences.
- You can also make the same recipe with cooked white or green chickpeas. The chaat also taste great with steamed sprouted moong beans.
- If you can get canned cooked chickpeas, then the chaat gets done in five minutes flat. Excellent even with some toasted bread.
- You can also add some grated carrot or grated/chopped cucumber or boiled potatoes.
Nice chaat recipe,thanx
thank you priya 🙂
Loved this healthy recipe and kids also love the same … 🙂
thanks prashant
Very nice ! Just made it and enjoying the ‘Chaat’ as I type 🙂