Samosa chaat is a beloved street food that offers a spicy and tangy taste experience. The dish typically features crispy, flaky samosas that are topped with chole masala or ragda, and then adorned with yogurt and chutneys. One of the reasons this snack is so popular is due to the range of flavors and textures it offers. Plus, it's easy to personalize to suit your taste.
This delectable dish is an ideal choice for Diwali celebrations and get-togethers since all the components required for making delicious samosa chaat can be prepared in advance and stored. When guests arrive, it's just a matter of assembling and serving.
While chana masala (chickpea curry) is the main ingredient used in this chaat, I prefer to use ragda, which is made from white peas. With every bite of this dish, you'll enjoy a variety of textures ranging from crunchy to crispy to creamy, along with tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors.
Included in this recipe are the ingredients, step-by-step instructions, and some useful tips to help you create this popular chaat right in the comfort of your own home. You'll also find meal prep and make-ahead options that are perfect for parties and gatherings.
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Why you will love this recipe?
- Balanced flavors: This dish has a perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, which are achieved through the use of chutneys and spices.
- Textural contrast: The combination of crispy samosa with soft and creamy toppings like yogurt ragda offers a satisfying textural contrast.
- Customizable: This recipe can be easily customized to suit your preferences. You can adjust the level of spice, and choose the chutneys and toppings that you enjoy the most.
- Make-ahead: The ability to prepare the components ahead of time is a plus, making it easier to serve when guests arrive makes it truly convenient and ideal for hosting parties or gatherings without sacrificing taste or quality.
Ingredients
To make the white peas curry (ragda):
White peas: This is the main ingredient. Soak the peas for 5-6 hours (or overnight) before using them.
Spices: I am using ground turmeric, ground coriander, chili powder (or cayenne), asafetida (hing), and garam masala.
Other ingredients: Minced ginger, green chili (or serrano pepper), and tamarind concentrate.
To make samosa chaat:
Ragda curry: Make ahead and store the ragda curry.
Samosa: You can either make samosas at home or use store-bought frozen ones.
Condiments and spices: Green chutney and sweet chutney or imli chutney (use homemade or store-bought), salt, chili powder, and chaat masala.
Toppings: Red onions, tomato, cilantro (coriander leaves), and plain yogurt.
Optional toppings and extra garnishes: Green chilies, roasted cumin powder, pomegranate seeds, black salt, lime or lemon juice, and nylon sev (or fine sev).
Step-by-step instructions
Make the ragda curry:
Step 1: Heat oil in an Instant Pot pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add ginger and garlic. Next, add hing, turmeric powder, chili powder, and coriander powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water and saute for a few seconds (images 1 and 2).
Step 2: Next, add the soaked peas and salt. Add 2½ cups of water, mix well, and deglaze the pot (images 3 and 4).
Step 3: Set the Instant Pot in Bean/Chili mode for 15 minutes. Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Lightly mash some of the peas using a potato masher (images 5 and 6).
Step 4: Put the Instant Pot back in saute mode. Add garam masala and tamarind paste. Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes (images 7 and 8).
Make the samosa chat:
Step 1: Place one samosa on a plate or serving bowl and smash it. Add around ½ cup of warm ragda curry (images 1 and 2).
Step 2: Drizzle the sweet and tangy chutneys. Sprinkle red chili powder, chaat masala powder, and salt. Add whisked yogurt. Top with chopped onion and cilantro (images 3 and 4).
Useful tips
Soak the peas for at least 5-6 hours (or overnight). Unsoaked peas will take a long time to cook.
Once you add powdered spices when making the ragda, add a little water immediately. This will prevent the spices from burning.
Once the white peas are pressure cooked, mash some cooked peas well. This will help thicken the curry.
You can substitute white peas with chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Soak them overnight before using are pressure cook for 25 minutes. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
You can either make sweet chutney and green chutney at home or buy them from Indian grocery stores. You can also top the chaat with some roasted cumin powder and black salt (kala namak) for added flavor.
To make a spicy samosa chat, top it with finely chopped green chillies or use more red chilli powder.
Whisk the yogurt well making sure there are no lumps in it before using.
How to meal prep this dish
Every component can be made ahead and stored. It is perfect for meal prep, parties, and gatherings.
The ragda curry can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Portion and freeze it for up to three months.
Use store-bought samosas or make and freeze homemade samosa.
Make and store the sweet tamarind chutney and mint cilantro chutney. Alternatively, you can easily buy these chutneys from any Indian grocery store.
Once you are ready to serve, warm the ragda curry on medium heat and heat up the samosas in the oven or air fryer. Assemble the chaat and serve immediately.
More potato recipes
FAQs
Samosas are crispy deep-fried pastries with a savory filling, the most common being a spicy potato and peas filling. When making a chaat, the samosas are broken into bite-sized pieces and topped with a masala curry, yogurt, and chutneys.
No. However, it can be easily made vegan by skipping yogurt.
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Recipe card
Samosa Chaat
Ingredients
For ragda:
- 1 cup white peas
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ inch ginger finely chopped
- 1 green chili or serrano pepper finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne
- ½ teaspoon hing
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾-1 teaspoon salt adjust as per taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 2½ cups water
For serving:
- 4 samosa
- 2 cups ragda
- 2 tablespoon green chutney
- 2 tablespoon sweet chutney
- 1 cup yogurt whisked
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Wash the white peas thoroughly and soak them for 5-6 hours (or overnight).
- Once the peas are soaked, drain the water from them and rinse again.
Make the ragda curry:
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add oil. Once it heats, add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add ginger and green chili. Saute for a few seconds. Next, add hing, ground turmeric, chili powder, and ground coriander.
- Add 2 tablespoons of water and saute for about a minute.
- Add the soaked peas and salt. Add 2½ cups of water. Mix well and deglaze the pot.
- Cancel saute mode and secure the IP lid. Set the Instant Pot in Bean/Chili mode for 15 minutes.
- Do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- The peas should be well-cooked and slightly mushy. Open the lid and mix well.
- Lightly mash some of the peas using a potato masher (this will help thicken the curry).
- If the curry is too thick, add ½ cup of water and put the IP in saute mode for 2-3 minutes. Check and adjust the salt at this stage.
- Put the Instant Pot back in saute mode. Add garam masala and tamarind paste. Mix and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Ragda curry is ready.
Assemble and serve:
- Warm the samosa in an oven or air fryer. Also, make sure the ragda is warm.
- Smash one samosa on a serving plate.
- Add ½ cup warm ragda on the top.
- Top with green chutney and mint chutney.
- Sprinkle chaat masala and chili powder. Season with salt as needed.
- Next, top ¼ cup of whisked yogurt. Add 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion.
- Top with cilantro and serve immediately.
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