Chaat: In three easy steps

Chaat is the prototypical Indian snack/street food. It has everything you could ask for in a snack: flavour, substance, and arguably the most important, crunch.

Step 1: Find the crunchies. What are crunchies, you ask? They usually consist of a mixture of sev (small crunchy fried noodles), lentils, and puffed grains. They come in bags like the ones in the picture above. We found them by sheer luck at the local fruit shop. If you have a nearby Indian or Asian market though that would probably be a good place to start looking. In a pinch, you could substitute any sort of crunchy noodle or unsweetened cereal, seasoned with some turmeric and chile powder.

Step 2: The content. This step is open to interpretation. Basically, you need something to put the crunchies on. I prefer to roast a starchy veg of some sort (potato, squash, chick peas) tossed in olive oil and curry paste (I use Patak's Jalfrezi paste), but you could also boil potatoes and season them after the fact, or in a pinch, you could even get away with tossing a (rinsed and drained) can of chick peas with oil and spices (cumin, corriander, curry powder, chile).

Step 3: Assemble. Let the veg come to room temperature (if it's not there already) and mix with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and yogurt. Top with a bit more yogurt, tamarind sauce and crunchies.

Here's an example to give you an idea of numbers (this serves 2 as a meal and 3-4 as a side/snack):

The Veg:

1 small - med butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drains

3-4 tbsp curry paste

3-4 tbsp olive oil

In a roasting tin, mix all four ingredients together. Roast at 375 for an hour, or until the squash is soft and has a bit of color.

The Chaat:

1 recipe veg at room temp

1/2 - 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp plain yogurt (or more if you prefer)

large handful cilantro

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 cup crunchies

tamarind sauce

Put the veg in a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup yogurt, cilantro and lime juice. Top with crunchies, remaining yogurt, and tamarind sauce.

This is an excellent way to use up leftover potatoes and the like.