Crispy Palak (Spinach) fritters topped with yoghurt, red, green and tamarind chutneys, onions, and crunchy sev.
Palak pata Chaat (Crispy Spinach Chaat) is a delicious snack or appetizer. I tried this in a restaurant and instantly loved it. The crispy spinach leaves dipped in besan(chickpea flour) topped with chutneys, onions and sev, its a perfect balance of flavours and texture.
Savoury snacks have a special place in Pakistani and Indian cuisine. Dahi Bara chaat, Channa chaat or Papdi Chaat, spicy Samosas or Pakoras are delicious recipes that can be enjoyed anytime of the day as snack or even served as appetizer.
HOW TO MAKE PALAK PATA CHAAT
The main ingredient for this palak chaat is the palak pakoras that you make from scratch. Rest is just topping of yoghurt and chutneys.
Palak Pakoras are made by dipping spinach leaves in besan mixture. And then deep fry the leaves until golden and crispy
Spinach – remove the stems from spinach leaves and wash them. Dry them on a tea towel.
Besan Batter – Prepare a batter with besan (chickpea Flour, salt, red chilli powder, cumin seeds and carom seeds (ajwain). The batter should be medium consistency so it can coat the spinach leaves. Right consistency of batter is the key to this recipe. Too thick the pakoras will be chewy, too thin and the batter will slide off and wont coat the spinach properly.
Mint Chutney – you can use my Mint Chutney recipe to make this at home or you can use store bought chutney.
Yogurt – just whisk yoghurt with some salt and little bot of sugar.
Tamarind Chutney – You can make your own tamarind chutney or use store bought.
Onions – chopped onions.
Sev adds an extra crunchiness to this chaat. You can use crushed papri as well.
Pomegranate – I like to add pomegranate arils as they add tanginess and bring color to this delicious chaat.
Chaat Masala – sprinkle some chat masala to make it spicy.
Assembling the Palak Patta Chaat
Layer the spinach pakoras in a serving plate. Drizzle some yoghurt followed by the chutneys. Sprinkle some chaat masala. Topp it with chopped onion, pomegranate and sev. You can also add some mint or coriander leaves.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE PALAK PATTA CHAAT
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT PALAK PATTA CHAAT
- Wash and dry spinach leaves properly. If the leaves are wet the batter wont stick properly.
- The batter should be right consistency. Light thin batter will make crispy spinach leaves.
- Fry spinach leaves on medium heat.
- Drain the spinach leaves on wire rack. This allows the oil to drain and keeps the leaves crispy.
Other Recipes to Try:
Papri Chaat
Dahi Baray
Punjabi Samosa
Dahi Phulki
Palak Pata Chaat
Ingredients
- 1 cup Besan (Chickpea Flour)
- Spinach Leaves
- ½ + ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- ¼ tsp Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
- Water as required
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Tamarind Chutney See Notes
- 2 tbsp Mint Chutney See Notes
- 1 Onion Chopped
- ½ tsp Chaat Masala
- 3-4 tbsp Sev See Notes
- Coriander to garnish
- Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Remove stems from the spinach leaves and wash them thoroughly. Spread them on tea towel and pat dry.
- In a bowl add besan(Chickpea flour) along with salt, red chilli, cumin and carom seeds. Mix it and gradually add water while mixing it with a whisk. The batter should be thin consistency.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Dip the leaves in batter and drop them in oil.
- Flip them, once golden brown takes them out. Drain them over a wire rack to ensure they remain crispy.
- Whisk yoghurt with ¼ tsp salt and sugar.
- Assemble fried spinach leaves on serving platter. Drizzle some yoghurt along with mint and tamarind chutney. Sprinkle some chaat masala and add onions and sev. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use store bought tamarind chutney or make your own following this recipe Tamarind Chutney – Sugar Spice & More (sugarspicenmore.com)
- Same with Mint Chutney. If you want to make it from scratch you can use my recipe to make it Mint Chutney – Sugar Spice & More (sugarspicenmore.com)
- You can also use papri as an alternative to Sev
Wowwww!!! This is an amazing recipe. I loved the flavours, cripsy spinach, tangy spicy chutneys, very delicious.
Thankyou Samra for trying out this recipe
This palak chaat is a flavour bomb, the sweet, tangy, crispy, crunchy everything a chaat should be. I was bit reluctant to try thinking pakoras will be soggy and oil. But they turned out perfect !
Thanks Aksana, yes definitely a beautiful medley or flavours and texture. Its great to know that you loiked this recipe.