Why You’ll Love this Recipe
What is Fruit Chaat?
A popular street food in South Asia, chaat translates to the verb “to lick” and also happens to describe an entire category of finger-lickin’ good Indian snacks. It hits every flavor profile and texture that makes it craveable - sweet, spicy, tangy, salty, crunchy. Fruit Chaat is considered the Indian version of a fruit salad. It’s nice to balance out the typical heavy and fried snacks with something on the healthier side while still enjoying elements of chaat. Not to mention a great way to get kids to enjoy a variety of fruits. If you have leftover fruits, you might love this chilled Fruit Custard that’s a more dessert-like fruit salad.
Fruit Chaat is an easy no-recipe type of recipe. You can use whatever fruits are in season, on sale, or sitting in your kitchen. Use as little or as much of the spices as you want. Keep it simple with salt, pepper, and chaat masala or add all the fixings. It’s a quick, family-friendly snack that’s ready in 20 minutes or less with very little effort.
Chaat is essentially a quick snack you can make at any time with things that are already in your pantry and refrigerator. Fruit Chaat is an Indian-style fruit salad that starts with a variety of fresh seasonal fruits that are tossed with chutney and chatpata spices like chaat masala. It’s especially enjoyed in the summertime when the weather is warmer but it can be enjoyed with seasonal fruits throughout the year. It’s also popular in Pakistan during the month of Ramadan for breaking the fast at Iftar.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
Fruits - Generally, the guideline is to use seedless fruits with less water content, i.e. avoid using melons, guava, and delicate fruits like raspberries and avocados. The most commonly used fruits for Fruit Chaat are apples, pears, bananas, stone fruit like plums and peaches, mangoes, kiwi, grapes, papaya, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pomegranates, etc. Potato - Pan-fried potatoes are lightly crispy and soak up a lot of flavor. It’s a welcome neutral bite from a lot of sweet and tangy fruit. Lemon - A freshly squeezed lemon keeps the fruit from browning and acts as a dressing mixed with the spices. Juice a sweet orange instead of using lemon juice. Spices - We’re using classic spices in chaat - kala namak (black salt), roasted ground cumin, and chaat masala. You can also add chili powder for a bit of heat. The chaat masala you use matters! I love the MDH Chunky Chaat Masala and my mom uses her favorite blend she gets in India. Chutney - A few tablespoons of citrusy and herby cilantro-mint chutney is an absolutely delicious addition to this chaat. For something sweet and tangy, use tamarind-date chutney instead.
How to make Fruit Chaat
Step 1 - Peel and dice the potato. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt. Pan fry it in a hot pan with a teaspoon of hot oil. You’re looking for a few sides to get crispy and golden brown. Then, take the pan off of heat and cover it with a lid to let the potatoes finish cooking with the residual heat and steam. Our recipe is unique by adding potatoes to make it a little extra filling and cilantro-mint chutney which is always in our fridge. Step 2 - Wash and drain the fruit. Dice the fruit into bite-sized pieces.
Serving Suggestions
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Storage - The prepared Fruit Chaat can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day. After that, some of the fruits will start to break down and release a lot of their water content resulting in a mushy chaat. Step 4 - Add the lemon juice, chaat masala, kala namak, roasted ground cumin, salt, and cilantro chutney into the bowl. Step 5 - Toss everything together until the fruits are well-coated with the spices and chutney. Give it a taste and adjust with additional spices or chutney. Serve about ½ cup to a cup of fruits to each person with spoons or appetizer picks to enjoy. A cup of chai is always welcome during this time. For a Chaat Night, enjoy it along with other staples like Samosa Chaat, Peanut Chaat, Dahi Vada, and a Cheesy Nachos Chaat. The Fruit Chaat can also be prepared a few hours beforehand and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
More Indian Snacks to try
Recipe
I’d love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don’t forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below! Thinking about making this recipe? Enter your email and I’ll send it straight to your inbox to save for later. Plus, get new recipe inspiration from me every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Masala and Chai.
