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Fruit chaat
ফ্রুট চাট · seasonal fruit with chaat masala, black salt, lime and roasted cumin
All over India, fruit sellers with handcarts chop a plate of fruit chaat to order, and in Kolkata the evening carts near New Market and Gariahat pile guava, apple, papaya, banana, pomegranate and cucumber into a leaf bowl with chaat masala, black salt and lime. During Ramzan it appears at iftar, and in summer it is sold with a sprinkle of chilli. It is sweet, salty, sour and a little hot all at once, so it tastes nothing like a dessert fruit salad. Chef's tip: use at least one crunchy fruit (guava, apple or pear) and one soft one (banana or papaya) for contrast.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 guava or firm pearcut into 2 cm pieces
- 1 applecut into 2 cm pieces
- 7 oz ripe papayacut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 bananasliced
- 1 orangesegmented
- 2 ⅛ oz pomegranate seeds
- ½ cucumbercut into 2 cm pieces
- 3 ½ oz seedless grapeshalved
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- ¼ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp ground roasted cumin
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
- 8 mint leavestorn
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Chill all the fruit for an hour if you can; fruit chaat is best cold. Cut 1 guava or firm pear, 1 apple and ½ cucumber last and toss them straight away in 1 ½ tbsp lime juice so they don't brown.
Step 2: Combine everything else except the spices: 7 oz ripe papaya, 1 banana, 1 orange, 3 ½ oz seedless grapes and most of 2 ⅛ oz pomegranate seeds in a wide bowl.
Step 3: Mix 1 tsp chaat masala, ¼ tsp black salt, ½ tsp ground roasted cumin and ¼ tsp chilli powder in a cup, then sprinkle over and toss gently with your hands, so the soft fruit doesn't turn to mush. Common mistake: adding the spice early. Salt pulls the juice out and the chaat goes watery in 15 minutes.
Step 4: Taste: it should be tangy and salty first, then sweet. Scatter over 8 mint leaves and the remaining pomegranate and serve at once in small bowls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 29 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fruit chaat take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of apple?
- Pears, same amount.
- What can I use instead of banana?
- Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
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