A Guide To Chaat, India’s Favourite Snack

The word chaat, also written as chāt, derives from the Hindi term cāṭ, meaning tasting, a shortening of cāṭnā, referring to licking, as in licking one’s fingers while eating, which itself is derived from the Prakrit word caṭṭei, translating roughly to devour with relish. Enthusiastic tasting, finger licking and devouring with pleasure are certainly all actions that come to mind when thinking about chaat. A favourite across India and today the Indian subcontinent at large, this extraordinarily diverse snack, arguably a category of food in itself, is typically served as an hors d’oeuvre or at roadsides from stalls or food carts across India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Some scholars trace origins of chaats such as dahi vada to ancient periods. A recipe for the dish is mentioned in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopaedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. Washed urad lentils are soaked overnight and ground into a batter for the vada, then cooked in hot oil. The hot deep-fried vadas are first put in water and then transferred to thick beaten yogurt. The vadas are soaked for a period of time before serving. The fried breads may be topped with coriander or mint leaves, chilli powder, crushed black pepper, chaat masala, cumin, shredded coconut, green chillies, boondi, made from fried chickpea flour, and thinly sliced fresh ginger or pomegranate. A combination of coriander and tamarind chutneys is often used as garnish.

The unmistakable flavour of chaat masala, the spice mix used to season the various chaat dishes, typically consists of dried mango powder, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, black salt called kala namak, black pepper, asafoetida and chilli powder. Culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal suggests chaat, and this iconic spice combination, originated in northern India, now Uttar Pradesh, in the late 17th century during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. He further postulates that the royal doctors had asked the people of Mughal capital Delhi to consume spicy and fried snacks as well as dahi, yogurt, as a countermeasure to the alkaline water of the Yamuna river, their main water supply. Naturally these accounts have been heavily questioned owing to a number of regions claiming chaat’s invention.

Along with dahi vada, there is a whole roster of chaats worth knowing about and trying. The chaat variants are all based on fried dough, with various other ingredients. The “original” chaat comprises a mixture of potato pieces, crisp fried bread, the vada, chickpeas and the tangy-salty spices, with sour Indian chilli and saunth, a dried ginger and tamarind sauce, topped with fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish. Today, popular variants include alu tikkis or samosas garnished with the chaat trimmings, bhel puri, panipuri, papri chaat, and sev puri, among many more, including sweet options made with chopped fruits. There are common elements among most of these variants, mainly the ingredients they are dressed with, such as the yogurt, chopped onions, herbs and spices. All the elements are combined to great effect and typically served on a small metal plate or a banana leaf, dried and formed into a bowl.

A couple of the most popular “modern” chaats found across the subcontinent, and increasingly all over the world, are panipuri and pav bhaji. Panipuri consists of a round or ball-shaped, hollow puri, a deep-fried crisp flatbread, filled with a mixture of flavoured water, known as imli pani, tamarind chutney, chilli powder, chaat masala, potato mash, and onion or chickpeas. Biting into one of these tangy liquid-filled shells is a life affirming sensation. Then there’s pav bhaji, a dish said to have originated as a fast lunchtime meal for textile mill workers in Mumbai. Pav bhaji is a spiced mixture of mashed vegetables in a thick gravy served with bread. Vegetables in the curry may commonly include potatoes, onions, carrots, chillies, peas, bell peppers and tomatoes. Vendors usually cook the curry on a flat griddle, a tava, and serve the dish hot. A soft white bread roll is the classic accompaniment to the curry, along with butter, lemon juice and raw onions.



Feature image: Alu chaat (via Pinterest)