Palak Chaat Recipe (Crispy Palak Patta Chaat)
Palak Chaat is an Indian snack recipe where spinach leaves are coated with a gram flour batter and fried until crispy. They are then topped with chutneys and spices. Use my easy recipe to make it.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
To Fry The Spinach
- 15-20 spinach leaves (palak patta)
- ¾ cup chickpea flour (besan, gram flour)
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small pinch baking soda
- 2-3 cups oil for frying
To Top The Chaat
- 1 cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup green chutney
- ½ cup tamarind chutney
- red chili powder as required
- roasted cumin powder as required
- chaat masala powder as required
- salt as required
- fine sev as required
Instructions
Fry The Spinach
- Rinse the spinach leaves under cold water. Discard any wilted or damaged ones. Now, and this is the most important step, wipe each leaf completely dry using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Moisture on the leaf surface prevents the batter from adhering properly and is the number-one cause of soggy palak chaat. Don’t skip this.
- Mix besan, cornflour, ajwain, salt, and baking soda in a bowl using a wire whisk.
- Add water little by little, whisking to make a smooth, lump-free, flowing batter.
- Heat 2-3 cups of oil in a pan over medium-high heat to fry the pakora. Once the oil is hot (175°C, 350°F), reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Hold each dried spinach leaf by the stem. Dip it fully into the batter, coating both sides evenly, then drop it gently into the hot oil.
- Deep fry until golden brown on both sides. Use a tong or a perforated ladle to flip the pakora. Drain on a tissue-lined plate to soak up the excess oil. Fry all the leaves in the same manner.
The single most-tested variable in this recipe is batter thickness. I use a simple test: Dip a clean finger into the batter and hold it up; the batter should cling to your finger in an even layer and drip off slowly after about 3 seconds. If it falls off immediately, it’s too thin. Add a tablespoon more besan. If it sits thick like paste, it’s too thick. Add a teaspoon of water at a time.
Don’t have a thermometer? Drop a tiny blob of batter into the oil. It should sink slightly, then rise to the surface within 3 seconds and begin sizzling. If it rises instantly, the oil is too hot. If it sinks and stays, it’s not hot enough.
Fry 3-4 leaves at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan, as this drops the oil temperature and leads to greasy results.
Maintain your oil between 170°C–180°C (340°F–355°F) throughout frying. After each batch, let the oil reheat for 60 seconds before adding the next. A kitchen thermometer is your best friend here, but the batter drop test works well too.
Top The Chaat
- Whisk yogurt with sugar and salt. Add a little water to make the yogurt pourable.
- Arrange 3-4 hot, crispy fritters on a serving plate.
- Top them with 3-4 tablespoon of yogurt.
- Top with 2 teaspoon green chutney and 2 teaspoon tamarind chutney.
- Finally, sprinkle some red chili powder, roasted powder, chaat masala powder, and salt. Garnish with fine sev and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Follow the measurements correctly. Use standard cups and spoon measures to measure the ingredients.
Yogurt and chutneys to top the pakoras should be pourable. If they are thick, then thin them down with some water. I also like to chill them for a few hours before using them in the chaat.
Nutrition
Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 1374mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1121IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg
