Fruit Chaat

• Vegetarian, Vegan
• Quick to make

Fruit chaat is a simple snack using fresh fruits and a few spices to make a delicious tangy, sweet and spicy fruit salad.

This refreshing chaat is really just a fresh fruit salad with added tangy spices to give a delicious spin. It is a snack recipe and it could also be served as a dessert. I think it is great all year, but especially refreshing during the summer.

What is chaat? Chaat refers to popular street snacks that originated in India. Chaat recipes all have a common key ingredient, chaat masala.

The best fruit chaat is this Indian style one which has tangy, sweet and spicy notes.  The balance of yummy flavors is achieved with tang from chaat masala, sweetness of fresh fruits and a bit of spice.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Fresh fruits: While you could use any fruits, I think a few fruits are particularly yummy paired with chaat masala, oranges and pineapple being two of them. Grapes also provide the added sweetness needed.

Other fruits I used in this recipe include: Kiwi, strawberry, apple (for a little crunch) and grapefruit

Chaat masala: Chaat masala is a 6 ingredient Indian spice blend which has black salt or kala namak as a primary ingredient. (If it’s not in your blend, it’s not a good chaat masala spice mix!).  It can easily be found in Indian grocery stores (very common) or you can make your own quick blend of spices using a chaat masala recipe.

Cumin Powder: Ground cumin powder adds a delicious depth of flavor

Red chili powder: The hint of spice comes from red chili powder. You can reduce the amount to adjust to your preference. A bit of black pepper powder can be used as a substitute.

Salt/Black salt: Dependent on the quantity of black salt in your chaat masala, you may want to add a touch more.  Normal table salt also helps balance out the taste.

Mint leaves: Adds a refreshing taste to the salad, highly recommend to add.

Lemon juice:  A little lemon juice is helpful to toss the apples in so they don’t start to brown.  Apples can turn brown fairly quickly.

Tip: Make it colorful! Use seasonal fruits and colorful fruits to make the fruit salad look more appealing and get a good variety of fruits.

Fruit Chaat Masala

If you enjoy making fruit chaat, you can make a fruit chaat masala blend to keep handy with just a few Indian spices.  To make fruit chaat masala you need chaat masala, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt. This blend of spices is all you need to make a quick fresh fruit chaat and get the tangy flavors.

Making it

This is a very simple recipe.  To make fruit chaat you:

Cut the fruit into similar size pieces.  I like peeling the skin off of the oranges and grapefruits but it isn’t necessary. Place in a large bowl and toss with spices and mint.  Put half of the spice powders and toss.  Put the other half and toss again to evenly spread it.

Variations

A variety of fruits can be used: As mentioned above, juicy fruits work especially well.  (I love just chaat masala on cold watermelon!)

Two other fruits I love to add are pomegranate seeds and mango. Encourage the use of seasonal fruits to make different versions.

People use bananas (I find it weird) but it is really up to your personal taste! Fruit chaat is a great way to use up fruits in the fridge.  Make your own blend and put your own spin on this simple salad!

Honey: If you don’t have a very sweet fruit like grapes, you could add a teaspoon or two of honey for a bit of added sweetness.

Fruit juices:  Some people like to add a splash of fresh orange juice, pineapple juice or mango juice can also be added.  If you are using citrus fruits I don’t see the need for them, but up to your personal preference.

How to serve fruit chaat

Serve fruit chaat right after mixing it. The longer it sits, it will get a little watery. It does taste great over time as the flavors soak in more, but for a party I definitely would toss with spices right before serving. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs (optional ingredient).

It is a vrat or fasting days friendly recipe if you skip the asafetida in chaat masala.

This is a great fruit salad to make for a large group.