Fruit Chaat

Ingredients

Fruit

• 2bananas, sliced
• 2apples, cubed
• 2guavas, cubed
• 1small papaya, cubed
• the seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 2oranges, segmented
• 200 ggrapes, halved
• 1mango, cubed, in season

To dress

• 2 tablespoonschaat masala
• juice of 3 lemons
• or juice of 3 limes
• 3 tablespoonssugar syrup
• or 100 ml orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoonblack salt
• 1/2 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1/2 teaspoonroasted cumin, ground
• a pinch of chilli powder, optional

To serve

• chopped mint
• extra chaat masala

Directions

1. Cut it small enough to eat with a spoon. Do not chop it right down to mush. Wash everything thoroughly first. Peel and cube the apples and papaya. Handling the banana needs a thought.
2. Slice it last of all the fruit. Toss it in lemon juice immediately. Add it just before serving if you can. Cut it in half and break it apart in a bowl.
3. Skim the pith off and drain the seeds. Squeeze the lemons into a small bowl. Add the collected orange juice. Add the chaat masala and black salt. Add the black pepper and roasted cumin. Add the sugar syrup to the bowl.
4. Whisk it all together thoroughly. It should be sharply sour and salty. Adjust the lemon and the salt now. Add chilli powder if you want heat. Put all the fruit in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over all of it.
5. Fold it through gently with a spoon. Do not stir it hard or it turns to pulp.
6. Lift and fold rather than mixing. Cover it over and refrigerate it. Give it at least thirty minutes. Spoon it into small bowls or glasses. Scatter the chopped mint over it.
7. Dust a little extra chaat masala on top. It does not keep beyond a day. Make it fresh again each evening.

Technique

• Iftar breaks the daily Ramadan fast at sunset, traditionally with dates, and fruit chaat follows almost immediately because it is light, cold and full of liquid, which suits a stomach empty all day.
• Black salt, kala namak, smells strongly of sulphur and is pinkish grey rather than black; the smell is off-putting to the unfamiliar but essential to the flavour of chaat.
• The dish is sweet, sour and salty at once, and the salt is what makes the fruit taste more of itself.

Substitutions

• Any good seasonal fruit works, and six or seven kinds is a good number.
• Chaat masala is sold ready blended in South Asian shops and is worth buying rather than making.

Variations

• Some carts add a syrup and others only lemon juice.
• A version with chickpeas alongside is sold as a heartier chaat.
• Chaat masala is used the same way on cucumber and on fried snacks.

History

The standard opener at Pakistani iftar tables through Ramadan, sold by the kilo from street carts.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fruit Chaat?

Fruit Chaat is a street food from Pakistan: chopped seasonal fruit tossed with chaat masala, lemon and a little syrup. The standard opener at Pakistani iftar tables through Ramadan, sold by the kilo from street carts.

How long does Fruit Chaat take to make?

Fruit Chaat takes 25 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fruit Chaat?

Yes, within limits. Any good seasonal fruit works, and six or seven kinds is a good number. Chaat masala is sold ready blended in South Asian shops and is worth buying rather than making.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fruit Chaat?

Cut it small enough to eat with a spoon. Do not chop it right down to mush. Wash everything thoroughly first. Peel and cube the apples and papaya. Handling the banana needs a thought.