Crispy Palak Patta Chaat
A crunchy and flavourful Indian chaat made with spinach leaves dipped in spiced gram-flour batter, deep-fried and topped with yogurt, chutneys, sev and fresh veggies — an easy vegetarian snack.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Rinse spinach leaves well and pat dry completely with a kitchen towel. Ensure no water remains on the leaves.
- In a mixing bowl, combine gram flour, rice flour, turmeric, red chili powder, ajwain, asafoetida (if using), and salt. Mix well.
- Slowly add water to the dry mixture and whisk to make a smooth, flowing batter — similar to thin dosa batter, not too thick.
- Heat oil in a deep pan/kadai over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, reduce heat to medium.
- Dip each spinach leaf gently into the batter, shake off excess batter, and carefully slide into hot oil. Fry in batches until golden and crispy — about 20–30 seconds per leaf.
- Remove the fried leaves and drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Let them rest for a minute to stay crisp.
- Whisk plain yogurt until smooth and pourable. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water to loosen it.
- On a serving plate, arrange 4–5 crispy spinach leaves. Drizzle with yogurt, then add green chutney and tamarind chutney as per taste.
- Sprinkle chopped onion, sev, a pinch of chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, and optionally a few drops of lemon juice.
- Serve immediately so the leaves remain crisp. Mix gently while eating to get chutney, yogurt and sev in every bite.
Notes
For best crunch, use fresh spinach leaves and fry in hot oil. Assemble chaat just before serving so it doesn’t turn soggy. You can make chutneys a day ahead and store in refrigerator. For a lighter version, you may bake leaves instead of deep frying — though crispiness may reduce.