Watermelon and Feta Chaat
Indian Style Watermelon and Feta Salad
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Heat
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Serves
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Dietary Info
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Prep 40 mins
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Cook 15 mins
A summer Indian chaat made with cooling sweet watermelon and salty feta cheese topped with delicious spicy chutneys.
Hari says
Lets chat about chaat! See what I did there? Well, a chaat is a mouth-tingling Indian salad that is full to the brim with different textures, spices and flavour. You can practically make a chaat with anything but it has to be spicy, sweet, tangy, cooling, crispy, smooth and soft all at the same time - sounds complicated I know but it's also the best way to cool off in the summer.
This version is inspired by a chaat I recently had at a restaurant in London where they used watermelon for the sweet and cooling elements. I tried it with some smooth and salty feta to add the creaminess and do you know what, this hybrid Greek-Indian salad rocks.
When you put it together and tuck in, I want to know if it makes your taste buds sing!!!
- Ingredients
- Method
Paapri
- 250g atta
- salt pinch
- 1 tsp ajwain
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil or ghee
- 1/4 cup water
Green Chutney
- Handful of coriander leaves
- Handful of mint leaves
- 1 green chilli
- 5cm piece ginger
- ½ tsp black rock salt
- Salt, to taste
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Juice of 1 lemon
Sweet Date and Tamarind Chutney
- 85g seedless tamarind
- 80g seedless dates
- 40g grated jaggery (or brown sugar)
- 450ml water
- ½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
- ½ tsp dry ginger powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp black salt, or rock salt
Spiced Watermelon
- Half a watermelon, cubed
- 200g block feta cheese, cubed
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- handful of mint leaves, sliced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tsp chaat masala powder
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder (optional)
- 1 tsp black salt
- handful of crispy puffed rice and sev
Method
Paapri
- Add the flour to a bowl and mix in the salt and carom seeds.
- Add the oil and start to knead to form a dough pour in the water a little at a time until you have a soft dough. If it's sticky add a little more flour. Let it rest for 15 mins. Knead a little more to soften.
- Heat oven 200°c
- Take a ball and roll out to make a roti about 2-3mm thickness.
- With a fork make holes all over the surface of the rolled out roti.
- Using a cookie cutter cut out round discs and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, turning half way just until they turn golden (keep an eye on them).
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool until crisp.
Green Chutney
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz to make a chutney. Add a little water if required.
Sweet Date and Tamarind Chutney
- Put the tamarind, dates and water into a pan and cook for about 10 mins on a gentle heat.
- Add the jaggery and stir, and let it come to a boil. Once the jaggery has dissolved, the mixture will start to thicken.
- Stir in all the spices and salt, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
- Sieve the chutney mixture into a blender and grind until the chutney is smooth. Add a little water if required. This will keep in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Spiced Watermelon
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.
- Taste and check the seasoning is good.
To Serve
- Take individual papri crisps and pile on the watermelon and feta mix.
- Top with a blob of green chutney, a blob of sweet date and tamarind chutney
- Sprinkle a little of the puffed rice and sev on top
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