By Bornika Das
The word chaats originated from the connection to the taste and sensation of chatpatta. Chatpatta can be best described as salty, sweet, and tangy and is served in the form of snacks and foods. It might also be derived from the word chatna which means to lick. There are different types of delicious chaats across India. Take a look:
This street food is a popular North-West frontier cuisine. It hails from Delhi and virtually all of northern India. The dish consists of fried pieces of parboiled potatoes mixed with chana chopped onions and garnished with spices and chutney.
This dish is associated with the beaches of Mumbai. The locals love the snack as they munch on it while walking on the beach. It consists of puffed rice, sev, chopped onions, potatoes, papdis. It is smothered with chutney. The soggy sweetness of the snack is enjoyed by all.
Pani puri is stuffed with a mixture of mashed potatoes and chickpeas and drizzled with dahi, chutney, and sev. It is a statement snack of Mumbai that gives a different touch to the common pani puri.
This snack is similar to aloo tikka but has several added values. This Mumbai staple consists of an aloo tikka and is covered with dal made from white chickpeas known as Ragda. This tastes magical with chutney and sev.
Although the origin of the chat is unknown dahi vada has its presence in Delhi, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, and Telangana. The chaat has vada made of dal and is dipped in curd and garnished with chutney and coriander leaves.
It is made by mixing boiled spinach leaves into besan batter and topped with chaat ingredients to make it look delicious. One can even mix sprouts and it and combine it with different chutneys.
This is one of the most popular chaats in Delhi. It consists of laddoo made of dal and spices. They are served with green chutney and Mooli ka lachha.
It is made from a mixture of papdi, dahi, chopped potatoes, onions, and chutneys and garnished with coriander leaves. The snack has its origins in the Mughal court and is now popular all over northern India.
It is done by smashing the samosa flat and splashed with dahi, tamarind chutney, and mint chutney. Samosa chaat is a contemporary variety that finds its place in cosmopolitan cities.
The snack hails from Mumbai and is tricky to make. Papdis are arranged on a plate after which mashed potatoes are placed on top followed by dahi, chutney, and sev.