In papdi chaat, besides the papdis (fried flour crispies), a melt in the mouth fusion of boiled chickpeas, potatoes and pakoris (fried black gram fritters) and curd (yogurt) is added.

In this papdi chaat recipe i have used all the ingredients except the urad dal pakoris. The pakoris are made exactly like the bhallas made for dahi bhallas. I did not have time to make the urad dal pakoris. If you decide to make the pakoris, then after deep frying them, let them cool and then soak them in water for some time. Squeeze the water from the pakoris and add it to the papdi chaat before you top it with the curd and the chutneys.

As a substitute for pakoris, you can also use boondi. Soak the boondis in water and then squeeze the water from the boondis. Add these to the papdi chaat.

To make the papdi chaat healthy and nutritious, instead of fried papdis, use baked papdis. You can check this papdi recipe to make fried as well as baked papdis at home. Also some moong sprouts and pomegranate can also be added to the chaat.

Recipe Type Veg.

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

Cooking the chickpeas:

1. if you wanna add chickpeas to the papdi chaat, then some effort is needed. this is if you don't want to use canned chickpeas.
2. you need to soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for a good 6-7 hours. then cook or pressure cook the chickpeas with water and salt/black salt till it is completely cooked.

Making the green mint coriander chutney:

3. blend all the ingredients with very little water to a smooth paste.
4. keep aside.

Making the sweet tamarind dates chutney:

5. boil the tamarind and dates in water.
6. when they become soft add the jaggery and the spice powders and salt.
7. cook further till the jaggery melts.
8. switch off the burner and let the mixture cool.
9. grind the chutney mixture to a smooth paste. seive the chutney through a strainer. add more salt if needed.
10. if the chutney becomes too thick add some water to liquidize it.

For assembling the papdi chaat:

11. arrange the papdis in a shallow bowl or plate.
12. top it up with chopped boiled potatoes and cooked chickpeas.
13. you can add chopped onions and tomatoes to it, but its optional.
14. sprinkle some chaat masala and red chili powder on it, if you want at this stage.
15. top these with cold yogurt/curd as much as you want.
16. top it up with the green chutney as much as you want.
17. and then with the sweet chutney as much as you want.
18. sprinkle some chaat masala, red chili powder, cumin powder and black salt.
19. garnish with coriander leaves. sprinkle sev on top and this step is also optional.
20. add a dash of lemon juice to the papdi chaat if you want.
21. serve papdi chaat immediately.