Fruit Chaat is a fruit salad for the Desi/South Asian palette, therefore there is always some spice and it’s not always entirely healthy! But hey, we love our fruit chaat and here are some delicious and easy recipes.
Fruit Chaat: My Nani’s Recipe
This is my favorite fruit chaat of all time. I have grown up eating this fruit chaat at my nani’s house. When I moved to Canada, I craved the same taste and now each spoonful of this recipe gives me a taste of home.
Ingredients:
Plain Yogurt 2 cups
Sugar 3 tablespoons
Bananas 2 cut in slices
Apples 2 cut in slices
Grapes 1 cup
Canned pre-cooked chickpeas 1 cup
Whole red chillies 4
Cumin 1 tablespoon
Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 5 Minutes
Number of servings: 4-5
How to:
- Dry-roast the cumin seeds on a hot pan and separately dry-roast the whole red chillies. Now grind them together to make a powder. You can also make a bigger batch of this powder and keep in a bottle to use later.
- In a bowl mix the fruit, chickpeas and add the yogurt.
- Mix in the sugar and the cumin/chilli powder. If you want to make this recipe healthier, you can use honey instead of sugar.
Keep the fruit chaat in the fridge for an hour atleast before serving so that it’s nice and chilly. The fruit won’t turn brown because of the sugar.
Peach Chaat
I learnt this super simple peach fruit chaat recipe from my bhabi. Cut yellow peaches into very small pieces and sprinkle with salt, sugar and a little lemon! Use proportions based on your taste preferences.
Mango Fruit Salad
To call this one a “salad” would be grossly inappropriate but it sure is delicious! Cut the mangoes in small pieces and mix with some fresh cream. Chill in the fridge before serving.
Sweet and Spicy Fruit Chaat
Love this recipe by Sumayya Usmani, of a delicious fruit chaat using the sweet fruits of Pakistan. Sumayya is one of my favorite chefs and I love how all her recipes have a lovely family story with them.
Corn Chaat
This corn chaat recipe is thanks to Madiha from The Prairie Tray and is delicious!
Ingredients:
4 cups boiled corn
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
½ cup cilantro
½ a cucumber diced
1 green chilli (optional)
Dressing:
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup date and tamarind chutney* (recipe below)
¼ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp roasted cumin & coriander powder
½ tsp chaat masala
How to:
Put the corn, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro in a large bowl and mix.
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing, and adjust the seasoning according to taste.
Pour the dressing over the chaat and mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Serve with sev for a nice crunch.
Date and tamarind chutney:
400 gms tamarind
30 dates pitted
2 tsps cumin and coriander powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red chili powder
4 cups water (or more for a thinner chutney)
¼ cup brown sugar (optional)
How to:
Soak the tamarind in a cup of water for 30 minutes. Add 3 cups of water to the tamarind and strain the pulp. If you think the pulp is too thick, add more water.Cook the tamarind pulp and dates on low medium heat till dates become soft. Cool the mixture and blend.
Add salt, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder to the chutney. You can add brown sugar for a sweeter chutney.
Store it in a jar for up to a month in the fridge.
I’m trying the fruit chaat recipe today. It looks yummy – can’t wait to try it.