Masala yoghurt, red, green and tamarind chutneys, onions, tomatoes and crunchy sev are all crowd-pleasing toppings. These snack-tastic fried spinach leaves get more addictive with every bite! If you’re a lover of crispy nachos, try this Indian-style chaat.

What is Palak Patta Chaat (Crispy Spinach Chaat)?

This recipe begins with spinach, lots of spinach. Each leaf is dipped in a batter of chickpea flour (besan), rice flour and spices before getting deep fried.

Once crispy all over, the spinach bhajiya (fritters) are spread out on a tray or plate.

Now for the fun part: A tumble of red onions and tomatoes. Then a smatter of various hot and sour chutneys made with fresh herbs, fruits and spices. Cold sweet and savoury yoghurt drizzle goes on top.

Finally, sev (chickpea flour noodles), fresh coriander leaves and optional chaat masala. This dish really is a celebration of spinach.

What else can I add to my Chaat?

If the aforementioned toppings aren’t enough to set your taste buds alight, you can also throw on some fresh pomegranate, mint leaves and fresh chillies. It really is a flavour free for all. Indeed, I’ve been known to scatter over some crushed potato chips.

How do you eat Chaat?

Depending on the style of chaat, you can either use your hands, a spoon or fork. Generally speaking, eating with your hands is commonplace but if the chaat is drenched in chutneys and yoghurt, grab yourself a spoon.

I’m actually a firm believer of going in face first. Just kidding. I like to use my hands, nachos style. I pick them up, scooping up as many toppings as you can, sort of like a spinach-leaf surf board riding some deliciously-gnarly waves.

How many different types of Chaat are there?

Hundreds. Chaat is one of those dishes that is has consistency as well as uniqueness. You can prepare Chaat from almost any base ingredient: Think crispy bhajia (fritters), vada, fried dough, dumplings, noodles, fruit and many more things. Each of Chaat is both unique, yet familiar all at once.

The familiarity of chaat comes from the toppings. Almost all will have some sort of yoghurt, chutney, onion and tomato combination (not the fruit ones). Sometimes a sprinkle of chaat masala if it’s available. If not chaat masala, a pinch of black salt (kala namak) and roasted cumin seed powder.

What are the different types of Chaat?

While practically anything can be a chaat, some of the most popular chaats of India are:

• Aloo Chaat (with fried potato cubes)
• Samosa Chaat (with erm… samosas)
• Papdi Chaat (with fried strips of shortcrust dough)
• Sev Puri Chaat (same as above but with fried chickpea flour noodles)
• Dahi Puri Chaat (mini pastry shells filled with boiled potatoes and lentils and lots of seasoned yohurt)
• Channa Chaat (with chickpeas)
• Kachori Chaat (similar to samosa chaat but with a stuffed shortcrust round. Fillings usually include, but aren’t limited to peas, daal and onions).
• Fruit Chaat (mixed fruit sprinkled with chaat masala and fresh herbs).

Essentials I used for this recipe

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How to make Palak Patta Chaat (Crispy Spinach Chaat)

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Palak Patta Chaat (Spinach Leaf Chaat)

Crispy fried spinach leaves topped with a monsoon of Mumbai chaat favourites including masala yoghurt, red, green and tamarind chutneys, onions, tomatoes and crunchy sev. They get more addictive with every bite! If you're a lover of nachos, try this Indian-style chaat.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword bhajias, chaat, spinach, street food

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the crispy fried spinach:

• 180 g baby spinach leaves washed and dried
• 175 g chickpea flour (besan)
• 50 g rice flour
• 1 1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing – ensure it's a gluten free one if you have any allergies or intolerances)
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tsp oil (I used sunflower)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 300 ml ice cold water

For the masala yoghurt:

• 150 g unsweetened vegan yoghurt (I used soy)
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds coarsely ground
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)

For the chaat toppers:

• 1 tomato finely diced
• 1 small red onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp sev
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder or fresh green chillies (adjust according to your taste)
• Lemon wedges
• 2 tbsp green coriander and mint chutney recipe linked below
• 2 tbsp tamarind and date chutney recipe linked below
• 2 tbsp red chilli chutney recipe linked below
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
• 1L oil for deep frying (I used sunflower)

Instructions

For the masala yoghurt:

• Mix together all the ingredients and chill in the fridge until needed.

For the batter:

• Place the chickpea flour in a large bowl. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, asafoetida, dried garlic powder, salt, ajwain and rice flour. Stir to combine.
• Next, add the oil and lemon juice. Now gradually add the water, whisking all the time to ensure you work all the lumps out. It's good to add the water in stages for this reason. The final batter should be like a smooth dosa or crepe batter.

To fry the spinach:

• Heat the oil in a large pan suitable for deep frying, about 5cm deep. Bring the temperature to 200C/400F. It should be hot but not smoking.
• Dip a spinach leaf in the batter, gently shaking off any excess. Carefully place the spinach leaf in the hot oil. It may crackle and spit so be extra vigilant.
• Repeat more spinach leaves, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. I fried mine in batches of 6-7 at a time. Turn the spinach in the oil often using a perforated spoon or frying spider/skimmer. After around 2 minutes the spinach should be golden and crispy. Lift the spinach out of the oil using the perforated spoon.
• Place the spinach on a plate or tray lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. If you want to keep them warm, you can transfer the fried spinach leaves to an un-lined tray and place them in a low oven while you fry the remaining spinach. This will help keep them crispy.

To build the chaat:

• Arrange the spinach leaves on a tray. I lined mine with baking parchment for easy clean up. Top with onions, tomatoes, chilled masala yoghurt, chutneys of your choice, sev, fresh coriander leaves, optional chaat masala and any other toppings you would like to add. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Video

Notes

• Serve immediately. This chaat doesn’t wait around for long so get stuck in.
• Not suitable for reheating or freezing.

Get my 3 epic chutney recipes

Easy Mint & Coriander Chutney

Smooth and creamy Indian street-style chutney for drizzling over chaats, spreading in sandwiches and dipping bhajiyas. My recipe is super aromatic and medium hot in flavour. You can add as many chillies as you like. If you prefer a milder chutney, feel free to stir in some natural yoghurt or dairy-free yoghurt.

Check out this recipe

Atomic Red Chilli Chutney

Calling all chilli lovers! This red chilli chutney is quick and easy to make and intense enough to satisfy your spice cravings. Use two or more types of chilli for both flavour and intensity. Mixing your chillies in this way will add multiple layers of flavour.

Check out this recipe

Tamarind & Date Chutney

Learn how to make sweet and sour tamarind and date chutney from scratch! No Indian chaat is complete without a drizzle of this mouth-puckering fruity chutney.

Check out this recipe

Pin this Spinach Leaf Chaat recipe for later!

If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Maggi Noodles Chaat

And these Aloo Chaat Potato Skins

Love Sanjana

The post Palak Patta Chaat (Crispy Spinach Chaat) appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Aloo Chaat is a spud-packed street food dish that’s traditionally served in a bowl and enjoyed on the go, right? Not today. I’ve got a fun little treat for you and it constists of swapping the traditional plastic or banana leaf chaat bowl for a crispy potato skin bowl you can devour along with the mouth-watering aloo chaat inside.

This Aloo Chaat Potato Skin platter is a sharing feast that will be a hit at parties and celebration meals alike. Create an explosion of flavours with just a handful of spices and fresh herbs, topped off with sweet pomegranate seeds and a cooling yoghurt drizzle.

The best thing is that it’s a great make-ahead dish you can prep the day before if you like. I like to cook the potatoes fully and keep them covered in the fridge so they’re nice and firm when it comes to cutting the flesh and prepping the skins. You can also make the yoghurt, prep the pomegranate seeds, chop all the herbs, onions, ginger and chillies, keeping them all covered in bowls in the fridge. The next day all you need to do is fry the potatoes and assemble right before serving. The only rule is that this must be eaten hot, as soon as it’s ready.

I pick the biggest potatoes I can find for generous potato skin portions in which I can fill lots of crispy aloo and flavoursome toppings. I’m just greedy like that. You could also make cocktail-sized Aloo Chaat Potato Skins this serve as canapés.

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Aloo Chaat Potato Skins

This Aloo Chaat Potato Skin platter is a sharing feast that will be a hit at parties and celebration meals alike. Create an explosion of flavours with just a handful of spices and fresh herbs, topped off with sweet pomegranate seeds and a cooling yoghurt drizzle.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chaat, party, potatoes

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes
• 1 medium red onion finely diced
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• 50 g fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
• 1- inch fresh ginger peeled and julienned
• 1 tsp coriander seeds toasted and ground
• 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and ground
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt
• Sev to serve (optional)

For the masala yoghurt:

• 100 g plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted and coarsely ground
• 1 tsp fennel seeds toasted and coarsely ground
• Salt
• Sugar
• Lemon juice

Instructions

• First, the potatoes need to be cooked. I recommend either microwaving or baking them. To microwave, pierce the potato several times all over, place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on High power for 10-12 minutes. To bake, individually wrap the potatoes in foil and bake at 200°C/400°F for 1 hour. In both cases, allow the potatoes to cool completely.
• In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the yoghurt, cover and refrigerate.
• Once the potatoes are completely cold, cut them in half lengthways. Use a spoon to scoop out the middles, leaving a 2cm border around the potato to keep the skins sturdy for filling later. Try not to break the flesh of the potato too much. The skins need to remain whole and 2cm thick as these will be cooked again and then filled.
• Set the skins aside and cut the flesh of the potato into 2cm cubes. They don’t have to be perfectly shaped as the craggy ones will crisp up beautifully once fried.
• Fill a large, deep pan or wok with sunflower oil. Once the oil reaches 200°C/400°F, fry the potato skins over a medium-high flame until crispy and golden. Set aside to drain on a tray lined with absorbent kitchen paper.
• Next, the potato cubes until golden and crispy. Set aside to drain on a tray lined with absorbent kitchen paper.
• Toss the fried potato cubes with the toasted cumin and coriander seeds, ginger juliennes, chopped fresh chilli, chopped onions, lemon juice, chaat masala, pomegranate seeds, Kashmiri chilli powder, freshly chopped coriander and salt.
• Fill the crunchy potato skins with the hot, sour and spicy aloo chaat. Serve with the masala yoghurt and sprinkle over the sev if using.

Pin it for later!

The post Crispy Aloo Chaat Potato Skins appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.