A cross between chaat (indian street food) and tartlets, these chaatlets are a healthy way to satisfy those chaat cravings without the added fat and sugar. Presenting one fancy and one easy way of making papri chaat.
A chatori (street food lover) myself, I have been trying to find a healthier way to satisfy my chaat cravings. Chaat generally comprises of chhole (chickpeas), with a teekhi (spicy) as well as meethi (sweet) chutney, sometimes onion, and crushed papri (chips). The papri added to the chaat is deep fried and made with refined flour. Also the sweet chutney is loaded with sugar.
How is this chaat version healthy?
To make my healthier chaat version, I changed a few ingredients and methods of cooking.
- I bake my papri rather than deep frying it. You can form them into tartlets for serving in a fancier way. Or you can keep it simple by making baked papri.
- I make my papri/tart crust using whole wheat flour and some gram flour (besan). It is more fulfilling and much healthier than refined flour.
- I replaced the meethi (sweet) chutney with a date and tamarind chutney which contains no added sugar. The sweetness is derived from dates which also provides you with nutrients and fiber.
- I use chickpeas as a filling, as they are a good source of protein and fiber.
- I make my green chutney at home, which contains coriander, mint and green chilies. All of them are excellent sources of anti-oxidants and also aid digestion.
- I stick to clean toppings like yogurt, pomegranate arils and chopped onion.
3 Elements of Chaatlets
The chaatlets comprise of three elements:
- Tart crust or papri (recipe below)
- Date and Tamarind Chutney (recipe here)
- Chaat wale Chhole (recipe here)
The tart crust makes the base for the chaat. Next comes a thick layer of date and tamarind chutney, which provides a nice sweetness to the chaat. Then, there is a layer of chhole (chickpeas) which fills up the tartlets. On top, you can add any of your favorite chaat add ons like this spicy mint and coriander chutney, yogurt, pomegranate arils, chopped onions etc.
You can also make a simpler version by baking your papri. Crush and add your papri on top of your chaat waale chhole, then add date and tamarind chutney, and spicy mint and corinader chutney to make a delicious bowl of chaat.
Can I make it in advance?
If you want to serve the chaatlets later and want to do the prep beforehand, make all the three elements in advance. You can even make and freeze the chaat waale chhole and the date and tamarind chutney much in advance. The tart crust could also be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in an airtight container to retain its crispiness.
Assemble them just before consumption, which will only take minutes. Throw them into the oven for 5 minutes and they are as good as freshly made. Keep toppings like yogurt, spicy chutney, pomegranate arils and chopped onion in small bowls and let everyone choose their own toppings. It’s a lot of fun to serve for parties and events.
Chaatlets (healthy chaat tartlets)
Ingredients
For the tartlet crust or papri:
- 1 cup (135 grams) Whole wheat flour (Vollkorn-Weizenmehl)
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) Gram flour (Besan) (kichererbsenmehl)
- 1/2 tsp Carom seeds (Ajwain)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp ghee or butter (melted)
- 4-5 Tbsp Cold water (not warm or luke warm)
Chaat waale Chhole (street style chickpeas): Recipe here
Date and Tamarind Chutney: Recipe here
Instructions
- Take a big bowl and add the whole wheat flour, gram flour, carom seeds, turmeric and salt. Mix with hands or a whisk.
- Add the ghee or butter and rub it into the flour using your hands. After mixing, the flour should bind together when pressed into your fist. If it doesn't bind, add some more ghee or butter.
- Gradually add cold water, 1 Tbsp at a time and incorporate it into the dough. Stop adding water when the dough comes together and binds into a ball. Knead it lightly for 1 minute only. (not longer)
- Transfer the dough ball to a clean working surface and divide it into two parts. Roll it out using a rolling pin until it is about ½ cm thick.
- Transfer the rolled dough onto a tartlet mold. Press the dough on the edges and onto the sides so it sits evenly. Trim the extra dough from all over the rim, using a knife. Poke a few holes onto the base of the tartlet crust using a fork. Repeat with the other tartlet crust. Use the extra cut-off bits to make papri as instructed in the next step.
- For papri: Roll the dough until it is ½ cm thick. Cut out circles (about 5 cm diameter) using a small glass or a cup. Poke a few holes using a fork.
- Chill the tartlet crust and the papri in the freezer for 10 minutes. (This helps in creating a flaky texture)
- Set the oven to preheat at 180° Celsius.
- After 10 minutes of chilling, put the tartlet crust and papri to bake in the oven at 180° Celsius on the middle rack. Papri will be done in 20-25 minutes (take out when color changes to a light brown). Tartlet crust will be done in 30 minutes.
- After taking out from oven, remove the tartlet crust carefully from the mold. Place the tartlet crust and the papri on a wire rack to cool down.
- Make your Chaat Waale Chhole: Recipe here
- Make your Date and Tamarind Chutney: Recipe here
Assembly:
- Put a thick layer of date and tamarind chutney onto the tartlet base. Fill the rest of the tartlet with chhole (chickpeas).
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180° Celsius for 5 minutes.
- If you have made papri only: Take a medium sized bowl and fill it up with chhole. Add some date and tamarind chutney, and top with crushed papri.
- Top your chaatlet or papri chaat with add ons like spicy mint and coriander chutney, yogurt, chopped onion, and pomegranate arils.
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