Have you ever experienced salivation unattractively? That’s what happens when you think of Indian Chaats. Chaat can be best described as salty, sweet and tangy savory Indian snack. Chaats are India’s street food. India has some of the best street food in the world. Chaats were my and most of Indian’s all-time favorite kind of food. For children eating at chaat street cart is a great memory, for teens, they are great flirting places. No matter where Indians immigrate, they always cherish Street food moments. Besides curries, Indian cuisine offers a number of Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, nut-free dishes. Customize the Indian dish to your taste buds and it will hit the spot every time. Moth bean chaat is Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, nut-free. Not just for Indian food lovers, this chaat salad is must eat dish for everyone who wants to try meatless, healthy, clean recipes.
Moth dal, which is known to the western world as Moth bean, is widely used in South East Asia especially India. Moth bean is a versatile grain, that can be boiled, made chaats, soups, tadka dal, vegan stews. Moth bean is a gluten-free, high-protein, cholesterol-free grain with impressive nutrients as protein, dietary fiber, iron, phosphorus, and thiamine. When you can make such a clean, homemade recipe, you do not need artificially multivitamins or fortified food. Satisfy your urge to have a clean, homemade meal with this vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free dish.
Chaat can be delicious and healthy if deep-fried items are avoided. Adding small amounts of fried stuff is ok, but consuming all fried items mean bloating yourself with calories. Though there are tons of varieties of chaats, every dish has a unique, most cherishing taste. Chaats are a great way to socialize and entertain. The roadside carts in India serving chaats are favorite time pass spots to many families, friends, lovers, flirts. Chaats are excellent to entertain your guests with a side of cocktail or lemonade.
WHAT IS CHAAT MADE OF?
Chaat is basically made of below elements. With such a unique combination there is no question that chaat is Indian’s all time favorite.
- A Base: A carbohydrate and protein combination as a samosa, a papdi, garbanzo beans, peas or puffed rice.
- Chutneys: The famous green chutney made with mint, cilantro and tamarind chutney. They add spicy, sweet, tangy taste. Find the recipe here.
- Vegetables: Onions, tomatoes, boiled, mashed potatoes, cilantro, lime are usually topped over chaat.
- Condiments: Sev, boondi, spicy mixture made of fried gram flour batter are kids most favorite toppings.
- Spices: Amchur powder is dry raw mango powder which gives a sour tangy flavor to chaat. Chaat masala, black salt, cumin powder are few spices which spice up chaat and our taste buds.
HOW CAN WE MAKE CHAAT HEALTHY YET TASTY?
Now that we know Chaat is a combination of a carbohydrate and protein base, chutneys, some crunch, vegetables, and spices, let’s see how we can make it healthier. Chaat by itself is healthy if home-made. By making chaat at home, you are avoiding low-quality ingredients, preservatives and expired items. Making chutneys at home isn’t labor intensive as you think. Choose protein base than fried or high carbohydrate. By choosing to make home-made, you have an unlimited number of items to choose from. From more than 50+ varieties of legumes, choose a different one every time. This ensures to get you all unique nutrition from each legume. When you make home-made chaat, you don’t have to sacrifice papdi, samosa sev of boondi.
- Make home-made chutneys
- Soak and cook a different variety of beans every time you make chaat.
- Top chat with a variety of fresh greens, veggies, and sprouts.
- 1 cup - Moth Bean/ Moth dal
- ¼th cup - chopped iceberg lettuce
- ¼th cup - red onion
- ¼th cup - green bell pepper
- ¼th cup - red bell pepper
- ¼th cup - yellow bell pepper
- ¼th cup - celery - optional
- Himalayan pink salt or any other salt
- 1 tsp - finely chopped green Thai chilies
- ½ tsp - chaat masala. You can replace with pepper.
- ¼th tsp - amchur powder - optional
- 1 - 2 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- Cilantro to garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Green and Sweet chutneys. Find the recipe at https://www.ujwalasdelicacies.com//green-and-sweet-chutneys/
- Soak moth lentils for at least 5 hours.
- Cook in a pressure cooker or instant pot for 3 whistles.
- Once pressure is released, remove and add salt. Let it cool.
- Meanwhile cut all veggies into tiny pieces. Approx 1cm.
- Mix veggies, spices, cilantro, oil and lime juice. Mix well.
- Top desired amount of green and sweet chutneys.
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