Channa Chaat is nothing short of super food! Chickpea is Channa in the Urdu language and chaat is any snack that's spicy and has the wonderful tang from tamarind. You'll find Channa Chaat in the streets of Pakistan, and on the Eid and iftar tables. Since Ramadan started, I have been making a big bowl of this Channa Chaat for iftar. It also doesn't hurt that it literally comes together in 10 minutes.

I'd be more than happy to toss myself a salad for iftar, but when your parents are in town, you just have to don on the dupatta and feed some desi appetite. Speaking of parents, my dad loves hanging out at the grocery store more than I do! Let's just say my pantry is bursting with canned chickpeas and my fridge has never looked this full since I moved into my apartment.

I hope you guys give this nutritious, delicious, full of fiber, protein and gas (ahem) Channa Chaat a try! Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing the month! I feel you bruh... 16 hours is no joke.

Channa Chaat -Pakistani Chickpea Salad

Rookie With A Cookie

This is how Pakistanis turn chickpeas into a delicious tangy salad!

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Pakistani

Ingredients

2 cans garbanzo beans
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 medium potato boiled and chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
cilantro handful, chopped
2 teaspoon chaat masala or channa chaat spice mix you can find this at any Pakistani/Indian grocery store
½ teaspoon garam masala

Tamarind Chutney

¼ cup tamarind pulp you can find this at any South Asian store
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
salt to taste

Instructions

Dump beans, onion, tomatoes, potato and green chili in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle chaat masal and garam masala. Toss.
To make tamarind chutney, add tamarind pulp, sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and let this come to a boil. Continue cooking for 10-12 minutes or until the pulp breaks down. Use the back of the spoon to help the process.
Next, strain the tamarind liquid into a bowl. Make sure to press down on the pulp with a spoon to extract as much juices as you can. Discard the pulp (I chew on it :p).
Now pour the liquid back into the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes. The chutney will be very liquidy.
Remove from stove and let the chutney cool. As it cools, it will thicken.
Pour the cooled chutney into the chaat and toss.
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve.