I don't think anyone will ever understand how much I love chaat. Deep fried aloo tikkis, samosas, crisp chillas, bhel puri and sev puri and pani puri, and dahi bhallas and papri. Everything smothered in yogurt and tamarind chutney and coriander chutney. Diced potatoes, diced onions, chilli powder. Spicy, hot, tangy, every mouthful bursting with flavour and texture. Indian street food at its best.

But, I'm on a health kick. Did you just hear a really loud arghhhhhhhhhhh? So, the challenge was to bring all those flavours together in a high protein, low carb way. 

This chana chaat recipe was the answer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Serves 4

Prep Time - 15 min

Cook Time - 45 min

Total Time - 1 hr

Chana

1. Chickpeas in brine - 3 tins

2. Ginger - 2 inch

3. Garlic - 6 large cloves

4. Onion - 1 large

5. Green chillies - 2

6. Coriander - 1 small bunch/large handful

7. Coriander powder - 2 heaped tsp

8. Turmeric - 1 tsp

9. Cumin powder - 2 level tsp

10. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

11. Salt

12. Tomatoes - 2 medium

13. Oil - 2 tsp

Yogurt

1. Yogurt - 500 g

2. Cumin powder - 1 tsp

3. Salt

4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint chutney

1. Coriander - 1 large bunch

2. Mint - 1 large bunch

3. Green chillies - 2

4. Garlic - 4 cloves

5. Ginger - 1 inch

6. Sugar - 2 tsp

7. Salt

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion

2. Peel and roughly chop the ginger

3. Peel the garlic

4. Chop the chillies in half

5. Chop the tomatoes

6. Chop the coriander leaves

7. Grind the ginger, garlic and chillies together in a blender

8. Heat the oil on medium in a pan

9. When hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent

10. Add the ginger - garlic - chilli paste and sauté until the smell of raw ingredients disappears. Takes about 10 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent it all from sticking to the bottom of the pan

11. Once the onions are turning brown and the mixture is coming together, drain and wash the chickpeas

12. Add to the pan and mix everything through, so the chickpeas are coated evenly

13. Add the coriander powder, turmeric, cumin powder, chilli powder and salt and mix through thoroughly

14. Turn the heat to low, and allow to cook until the chickpeas and soft and cooked through. Mix occasionally. You may want to cover and cook for 5 minutes before cooking open

15. Add the coriander leaves and mix through. Allow to cook for a few more minutes until the leaves are wilted completely

16. Switch off the heat and keep aside

17. Whisk the yogurt until smooth

18. Add the cumin powder, chilli powder and salt

19. Keep aside

20. Wash and roughly chop the coriander and mint leaves

21. Chop the chillies in half

22. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger

23. Blend the coriander and mint leaves, the chillies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste

24. Add the sugar and salt and blend again

25. Pour out into a bowl and keep aside

26. To assemble, spoon the cooked masala chickpeas into a large bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix through gently. Pour on the yogurt (use as much as you would like - I personally like lots!), drizzle the chutney (again, I like a lot, but this is fairly hot, so taste before adding), enjoy! If you're feeling slightly indulgent, sprinkle over some aloo bhujia.