Papri Chaat

Papdi Chaat is a popular Indian chaat snack made with crisp fried puris, sweet sour and spicy chutneys, yogurt and sev. Make your favorite street style yummy chaat at home with my easy recipe! Papdi Chaat is a no cook snack where small crisp fried dics known as papdis are topped with boiled potatoes, thick yogurt, boiled chickpeas or sprouts, delicious green chutney and tamarind chutney. Lastly they are garnished with lots of sev, chaat masala and coriander leaves.

Papri chaat is a popular form of chaat often served in Northern India. Known for its crunchy base, papri is a style of thin chip made with a simple wheat dough. The papri is fried crisply and then topped with an assortment of vegetables and chutneys, served as a shareable snack between meals. 

This recipe from Chef K.N. Vinod — of Indique in Washington, D.C., and Bombay Bistro in Maryland — combines papri (or any crispy, crunchy element of your choice) with boiled potatoes, drained chickpeas, and a variety of chutneys for a bright, tangy dish that encompasses both spice and sweetness.

Chef Vinod’s recipe calls for tortilla chips as a quick and simple swap-in for papri, but he encourages home cooks to get creative with the crunchy base. He’s often found serving papri chaat at home using Chex Mix! While some chaat purists may scowl at the thought, Chef Vinod has made a name for himself with his whimsical or modern twists on classic Indian dishes and flavors. 

Ingredients

  • 2 medium russet potatoes (6 to 7 ounces each)
  • 10 ounces corn tortilla chips
  • 2/3 cup full-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmir chili powder, plus more for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 ounces cooked garbanzo beans (about 1 1/3 cups), or 1 (15-ounce) can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans
  • 1/3 cup mild or hot green chutney, such as Maazah, plus more for serving
  • 1/3 cup tamarind-date chutney, such as Deep, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils, or 1/4 cup diced red onion (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, peel and cut 2 russet potatoes into rough 1/4-inch cubes.

  2. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and boil until tender, 10 to 13 minutes. Drain in a colander.

  3. Place 2/3 cup plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the ground cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl and stir until well combined.

  4. Add the potatoes, 8 ounces garbanzo beans, 1/3 cup green chutney, 1/3 cup tamarind chutney, and 1/4 cup pomegranate arils or diced red onion if desired. Stir well to combine.

  5. Place 10 ounces tortilla chips on a large plate. Spoon the chaat mixture over the chips. Garnish with streaks of leftover yogurt as well as more chutney if desired. Sprinkle with more Kashmiri chili powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.

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