Ingredients

For Pressure Cooking Chana

  • 1 cup chana or dried white chickpeas
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water – for pressure cooking
  • 1 medium to large potato – optional

Other Ingredients For Chana Chaat

  • 1 medium sized onion – finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized tomato – finely chopped
  • 1 green chili , finely chopped – optional
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) – optional
  • regular white salt or rock salt (edible and food grade) – add as per taste
  • black salt – add as per taste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice or add as per taste
  • 3 to 4 pani pooris or papdis crushed
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
  • ¼ cup fine sev – optional

Instructions

Cooking Chickpeas

  • Soak 1 cup kabuli chana (white chickpeas) in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Later drain all the water. Rinse the chickpeas in running water and again drain the water. You can also use 2.5 to 3 cups canned chickpeas. if using canned chickpeas, then you just need to mix the spices, onions, tomatoes et all and savour the chana chaat.
  • Take the chickpeas in a 2-litre pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon salt and 2 cups water.
  • Place a bowl on top of the chickpeas. Rinse and keep a medium to large potato inside the bowl. You can skip the potato if you want.
  • Cover tightly with the lid and initially pressure cook on medium flame. When you start hearing the hissing sound in the cooker, lower the flame a bit and cook for 10 to 12 whistles.
  • When the pressure falls on its own, remove the lid.
  • Check the potato by sliding a knife or fork through it. The fork or knife should slide easily.
  • Also check the chickpeas. You should be able to mash the cooked chickpeas easily. There should be no hardness in the center. The chickpeas should have a melt in the mouth texture. If the chickpeas is not cooked, then add some more water and pressure cook for a few more whistles.

Preparation For Chana Chaat

  • Drain all the water and keep the cooked chickpeas aside.
  • Peel the potato once it becomes warm. Then chop and keep aside.
  • Rinse, peel and then finely the onion, tomato and chilli. Also rinse and then finely chop some coriander leaves. Keep aside.

Making Chana Chaat

  • Take the cooked chickpeas in a mixing bowl.
  • Add all the spice powders – kashmiri red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala. Add both black salt and regular salt as per taste. you can also add ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder).
  • Add the chopped potatoes. mix very well so the spice powders, salts coats the potatoes and chana.
  • Add the finely chopped onions, finely chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillies and coriander leaves.
  • Add 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice or add as required.
  • Again mix very well. Check the taste and you can add salt, chaat masala, red chilli powder, green chillies, lemon juice more if you want.
  • Serve chana chaat in a bowl instantly. While serving chana chaat garnish with some coriander leaves and sev. Adding sev is optional. You can even garnish with some crushed papdi or pani poori.