The moment the clouds roll in, thunder claps and the wind picks up, the stomach growls in response, craving something savoury, flavourful and crispy that tugs at the heartstrings. Usually, the mind goes straight to pakoras or fritters in all their variety, from onion pakoda and aloo pakoda to bread pakodas. Fritter is a seasonal fan favourite, as it meets all the requirements of a perfect monsoon snack, replete with crunch and flavour.
ALSO READ: Enjoy chef Ranveer Brar's crispy and delicious poha vada with chutney recipe during monsoon: Here are the steps
But those who are itching to try something different a crunchiness, then celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar's palak patta chaat does exactly that. It is crispiness in a new format, bringing in the enhanced flavours of the chaat.
Recipe of palaak patta chaat
The recipe comprises a variety of layers that have the potential to be the culinary highlight of the day. It includes chutneys like amchur chutney for the perfect tanginess, while the crispiness comes from the fried spinach leaves.
Here's the recipe for the spicy chaat:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
For Palak Patta Chaat
- 1 medium bunch Spinach leaves (clean & washed)
- 4-5 Green Chillies (less spicy & slit)
- ½ cup Sweet Corn kernels
For paste
- 1 cup Rice flour
- 1 cup Gram flour
- 5-6 Garlic cloves
- 2 Green Chillies (less spicy & roughly torn)
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Oil
- Water as required
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
For chutney mixture
- ⅓ cup Dry Mango powder
- 2-3 tbsp Water
- 1 cup Jaggery
For amchur chutney
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 2 Dry Kashmiri Red Chillies (broken into half)
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- Prepared chutney mixture
For batter
- Prepared paste
- 1 tbsp Coriander seeds (crushed)
- ½ tsp Carom seeds
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda Water as required
Other ingredients
- Oil for frying
For guava chaat
- 1 large Guava (roughly chopped)
- 2 tbsp Candied Mango (chopped)
- ½ tsp Degi Red Chilli powder
- ½ tsp Black Salt
- A pinch of Chaat masala
For assembling chaat
- Prepared Guava Chaat
- Sweetened curd
- Fried palak patta
- Fried sweet corn and green chillies
- Prepared amchur chutney
- Pomegranate pearls
- Nylon sev
- Candid mango (chopped)
- Namkeen dal moth
- A pinch of Degi Red Chilli powder
- Coriander sprig
Method
For paste
- In a bowl, add rice flour, gram flour, garlic, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, salt to taste, oil, water as required, turmeric powder and give it a good mix.
- Transfer it into the mixer grinder jar and grind it into a smooth, fine paste.
- Keep it aside for further use.
For chutney mixture
- In a bowl, add dry mango powder, water, jaggery and give it a good mix.
- Keep it aside for further use.
For amchur chutney
- In a saucepan, add oil; once it's hot, add dry Kashmiri red chillies, asafoetida and cook for a minute.
- Add prepared chutney mixture and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium flame.
- Transfer it into the bowl and keep it aside for further use.
For batter
- In a bowl, add prepared paste, crushed coriander seeds, carom seeds, baking powder, baking soda, water as required and give it a good mix.
- Keep it aside for further use.
For frying
- Take spinach leaves, dip them into the batter and coat them evenly on all sides.
- Drop the leaves into the hot oil and fry them until crispy in texture.
- Add green chillies and sweetcorn into the batter and coat them evenly.
- Drop them into the hot oil and fry them until crispy in texture and golden brown in colour.
- Transfer them into the absorbent sheet and leave it aside for further use.
For Guava Chaat
- In a bowl, add chopped guava, candied mango, degi red chilli powder, black salt, chaat masala and give it a good mix.
- Keep it aside for further use.
For Assembling Chaat
- In a serving dish or platter, add a spoonful of prepared guava chaat, sweetened curd, place fried palak patta, fried sweet corn and green chillies and drizzle some prepared amchur chutney.
- Garnish it with pomegranate pearls, nylon sev, namkeen dal moth, sprinkle a pinch of degi red chilli powder and a coriander sprig.
- Serve warm.
Chef's notes
As per the chef, you should focus on the technique you use for making the batter. He called it the ‘jaan’ (spirit) of the dish. Many make the mistake of making it by hand, like using a whisk, but the chef believed the batter turns out better if you use a mixie. The consistency too matters, as he asked to look for the batter to have ‘somewhere in the middle’ texture, not too thick or too thin. Next, he commented on amchur chutney, highlighting it as good for the stomach, acting as a relief on monsoon days for the stomach.