Papdi Chaat is a widely popular Indian Street Food that's sweet, savory, and spicy at the same time. It's an explosion of flavors in your mouth.
Delhi Street Food
Delhi is famous for Papdi Chaat, especially Delhi Street Food. I would never make the mistake of eating Delhi Street Food because we NRI struggle when it comes to eating Indian Street Food. Of course, the taste is amazing, but I always end up getting stomach issues, diarrhea, the works. So yeah, I can't handle any Indian Street Food.
Whenever I visited India, my mom gave me strict instructions to avoid fried foods, yogurt, and chutney - specifically any Indian Street Food. My favorites were all the vendors hanging out in Karol Bagh Market. So hard to resist. Sadly, Indian Street Food doesn't suit me.
So what's the alternative to Indian Street Food? Haldiram's! A trip to New Delhi is incomplete without a stop at Haldiram's which has the most amazing mithai and Indian street food - without you getting sick. It's a safe option for tourists and visitors.
What is Papdi Chaat?
Papdi Chaat is a highly popular Indian street food that is prepared with papdi or crispy chips, and then topped with potatoes, onions, chickpeas, yogurt, green & tamarind chutneys, along with some spices.
This delightful appetizer or snack is a combination of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors. Once you start eating them, you can't stop because they're addictive.
Papdi Chaat falls under the umbrella of various names such as, papri chaat, aloo papdi chaat, dahi chaat, dahi papdi chaat, aloo chana chaat, or chaat papdi.
Ingredients for Papdi Chaat:
Potatoes: I like using russet potatoes for this recipe. Boil the potatoes, but do not over boil them.
Onions: Use red onions and finely chop.
Chickpeas: Use canned chickpeas - rinsed & drained. I prefer organic chickpeas in a can.
Yogurt: Dilute the yogurt a little with some water so it's runny, yet creamy, but not watery.
Cilantro Chutney: You can always buy store-bought, but I recommend making fresh Cilantro Chutney.
Tamarind Chutney: I buy the Tamarind Date Chutney from my local desi store.
Sev: Crispy snack which is fried and adds a nice crunch to chaat.
Fresh Cilantro: Chop the fresh cilantro which will be used as a garnish.
Spices: I use salt, red chili powder, kala jeera (roasted cumin or regular), and chat masala.
Pomegranate: This is used for garnish and is totally optional. It adds a pretty red color to chaat.
Papdi Chaat is:
Mouthwatering
Delicious
Scrumptious
Crunchy
Savory
Sweet
Spicy
Vegetarian
How to make Papdi Chaat recipe step by step?
Prep
1. Boil and peel the potatoes. Do not overboil the potatoes.
2. Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Chop the red onions. Rinse & drain canned chickpeas.
3. Set aside your pomegranate, thin sev, and chopped fresh cilantro.
4. Here are the spices you'll need - salt, red chili powder, kala jeera (roasted cumin), and chat masala.
5. Prepare the Cilantro Chutney. You'll also need Tamarind Chutney - I just use store-bought.
6. Make the yogurt mix with salt, kala jeera (roasted cumin) and chat masala.
Assemble
1. Place 7 papdis on a plate.
2. Top with potatoes, red onions, and chickpeas.
3. Add a generous amount of yogurt.
4. Followed by cilantro and tamarind chutneys.
5. Spice it up with salt, red chili powder, lots of kala jeera, and lots of chat masala.
6. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, sev, and pomegranate.
Serving Suggestions
Whatever you do, make sure you serve Papdi Chaat immediately. It's no fun eating soggy papdi chaat.
Here are a few ways to serve Papdi Chaat
- Individual Portion - add 7 papdis to a bowl and then load up on your toppings.
- Family Style - take a large platter - I prefer a round crystal platter. Add lots of papdis followed by all the toppings.
- Party Style - you can find individual little glass trifle cups or plastic dessert cups. Add 2-3 papdis in there and then add your toppings. This idea is super cute when making Papdi Chaat for a large gathering. If you are serving Papdi Chaat in little cups, just make sure you prepare them before eating to prevent them from getting soggy.
- You can also set up a Papdi Chaat station and let the guests assemble their own chaat to their liking. This gives your guests the option to skip yogurt or certain ingredients they may not enjoy as much.
Tips for Papdi Chaat:
- Prep all the chopping ingredients ahead of time. This is a great dish to serve as an appetizer since all the prep work needs to be done ahead of time.
- Make the Cilantro Chutney - this is the only item I actually make for Papdi Chaat.
- I used store-bought Tamarind Date Chutney.
- Prepare the yogurt mix.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I make this recipe vegan, gluten-free?
For vegan: you can omit yogurt, or use a vegan yogurt you love. I'll be honest, chaat tastes amazing with yogurt.
For gluten-free: there is no gluten-free papdi. You can certainly check your local Desi store to see if they sell them, but I haven't seen any.
2. Is Papdi Chaat healthy?
Yes and no. Most of the ingredients in papdi chaat are relatively healthy - chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, yogurt, green chutney. The exception is fried papdi which is not healthy due to the high calories and saturated fat.
3. How can I make Healthy Papdi Chaat?
- You may use quinoa, or just make my Quinoa Bhel Salad which is amazing. It tastes just like the real thing.
- You can also use homemade chivda that contains sev, murmura, nuts, etc.
- You can use healthier/baked tortilla chips. I love Trader Joe's Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips.
- You can use murmura which is super light.
- Try using sauteed tofu or edamame. I've actually made Tofu Peanut Bhel and it's delicious.
4. How do I make Papdi Chaat Chutneys?
I have a recipe on my blog for Cilantro Chutney - it's super easy to make.
For Tamarind Chutney, I use store-bought. I love this brand.
5. Where can I buy Papdi from?
Sure you can make papdi at home, but save yourself a lot of time and effort and just buy it. You can easily find papdi at any Indian or Desi grocery store.
More Chaat Recipes!
- Quinoa Bhel
- Aloo Tikki Chaat
- Sweet Potato Chaat
- Tofu Peanut Bhel
- Baked Aloo Chaat Tostadas
- Cilantro Chutney
📖 Recipe Card
Papdi Chaat
Ingredients
prepare the yogurt
- 1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt
- ¾ cup water
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp chat masala
- 1 teaspoon kala jeera, dry roasted cumin
prep ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes, boiled, peeled & cubed
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 15 ounces canned organic chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- prepared yogurt, see recipe above
- fresh cilantro chutney
- tamarind date chutney
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- salt
- red chili powder
- kala jeera
- chat masala
- sev
- ½ cup pomegranate, for garnish
to assemble - serving per person
- 7 Papdis
- ⅓ cup potatoes, boiled & cubed
- 2 tablespoon red onions, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon chickpeas
- ⅔ cup yogurt, I like a lot
- 1 ½ tablespoon cilantro chutney
- 1 ½ tablespoon tamarind chutney
- to taste salt
- ¼ teaspoon kala jeera, generous amount
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon chat masala
- 2 tbsp sev
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate
Instructions
Prep
- Boil and peel the potatoes. Do not overboil the potatoes.
- Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Chop the red onions. Rinse & drain canned chickpeas.
- Prepare the Cilantro Chutney- recipe here. I used store-bought Tamarind Date Chutney. Dilute the yogurt with a little water so its runny, but still creamy.
- Set aside your pomegranate, sev, and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Here are the spices you'll need - salt, red chili powder, kala jeera (roasted cumin), and chat masala.
Assemble
- Place 7 papdis on a plate.
- Top with potatoes, red onions, and chickpeas.
- Add a generous amount of yogurt.
- Followed by cilantro and tamarind chutneys.
- Spice it up with salt, red chili powder, lots of kala jeera, and lots of chat masala.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, sev, and pomegranate.
Sonia S says
I tried this Papdi chat for an evening snack and I’m not lying, the flavors reminds me of the chat stall we used to have it back home. It hits the spot and super easy to make, we loved it 😍😍