Come Diwali, card parties become a common way of celebrating the onset of the festive season. While the religious essence of the festival lies in the tale that Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, people have resorted to different ways to celebrate the day. If you are planning to host your friends and family over the weekend for a Diwali get-together, then you should start prepping now. While the décor and seating arrangements can be taken care of, it is the menu that needs important consideration. After all, festivals are all about rituals and food. Mithais will definitely be on your list so ladoos and barfis are a given along with piping hot gulab jamuns and rasmalais.
However, have you thought of some savoury options yet? Some light, quick-to-make and easy to eat snacks that can fill everyone’s appetite. In the festive season, your guests might be looking for something chatpata and in the quest for that, chaat can bring a smile on their faces.
Here are some delectable chaat varieties that you can spruce up quickly before the party and serve hot or cold.
Sweet Potato Chaat Bites
With the same tangy and chatpata flavours of chaat, these sweet potato bites are easy to eat and great in taste. The bite-sized starters can be served in spoons for a fancy appearance. We are pretty sure you would have to make refills of these as they would get disappeared in seconds.
Aloo Chaat
Diced potatoes are tempered with cumin powder and chaat masala along with spring onions. The mixture is placed in the serving bowl to which curd is added. The final garnish with coriander and tamarind chutney adds a dash of colour and flavour to the dish.
Chana Chaat
The next best option for a chaat after potatoes is chana aka chickpeas. Chopped onions, fresh coriander, onions, cucumbers and finely chopped green chilies are added to the boiled chickpeas which are then flavoured with red chili powder and turmeric.
Cornflakes Chaat
What is that box of cornflakes doing in the kitchen drawer since last few weeks? Don’t wait for the day you decide to have it for breakfast. Use these cornflakes for a crunchy chaat on Diwali. The cornflakes are mixed with onions and tomatoes and a dash of lime juice is added to give it a citrusy touch. Garnish with sev and coriander leaves.
Pasta Chaat
For this chaat, you can take macaroni pasta because it is readily available as well as bite-sized. The boiled pasta is added to the bowl of chopped tomatoes and onions along with fried peanuts for the crunch. You can add sweet corn too. Spruce it up with chutneys and serve your guests.