Chaat, according to author and food writer Priya Krishna, is less a family of savoury Indian snacks and more “a way of life … a category of food that hits practically every element that makes something craveable – sweet, sour, tangy, spicy, and crunchy”. The name, Nashville chef Maneet Chauhan told the New York Times, comes from the verb chaatna, meaning “to lick”, because good chaat, which can be eaten at any time of day, should be, well, finger-licking good. Chef and author Roopa Gulati explains in India, her contribution to Bloomsbury’s World Vegetarian series: “There’s no single word in the English language that describes the spectrum of flavours delivered by chaat. However, in India, it’s the emotive-sounding chatpata that evokes myriad explosive tastes and textures. If you fee like eating something chatpata, the assumption is that it’s chaat, or at least a spicy, crunchy snack.”
A chaat, whether enjoyed at a street stall, in a restaurant or with a pot of tea at home, is usually based around a starchy main ingredient – chopped samosas, for example, or fried potatoes – topped with a colourful canopy of fruity chutneys, cool dairy, crunchy snacks and a hot and tangy blend of spices. It’s a combination that’s precision-engineered to keep you coming back for another spoonful, so if you’re looking to eat more pulses, this chickpea version is guaranteed to help.
