Chatpate is a beloved snack food in Nepal that is a perfect balance of crunch, tang, and spice. Everyone has their own version of chat pate but everyone knows the best chatpate is made by the vendors in street carts. Many Nepali locals have fond memories of visiting street carts and watching as the vendors expertly mixed the ingredients together, adding a special red sauce, and serving it in a newspaper cone and a cardboard square as a makeshift spoon. I distinctly remember the bright blue cart that used to come down our street in Nepal and the vendor shouting the names of various delicious street snacks 'chatpate', 'aloo nimkee', 'pani puri'. The title 'the best chatpate' may be a hefty claim but with this recipe, you can recreate that street vendor chatpate experience in your very own home.
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What is Chatpate?
Chatpate is a beloved Nepali snack that is known for its unique blend of clashing flavors and textures. This explosive mix of sweet, sour, fresh, soft, crispy, juicy, and crunchy elements makes for a true firework of flavors in every bite.
One of the distinguishing features of Nepali chatpate is the use of Wai Wai, a type of Nepali instant noodles, which adds a distinct flavor and irresistible crunch.
How do Nepali people eat Chatpate?
This much-loved snack is a staple at every occasion, whether it's a casual get-together with friends, a movie night, or a picnic getaway. Chatpate is a versatile snack that can be customized with different ingredients, making it a delicious and satisfying option for anyone who loves bold flavors and exciting textures.
Tips and Pearls
- The key to a delicious chatpate is getting the right texture - you want to chop the vegetables small enough that they mix well with everything, but not so small that they lose their individual flavors. Raw onion and crunchy vegetables like cucumber can have strong flavors, so it's important to pay attention to the texture.
- Soggy chatpate is never good, so I like to separate out my ingredients and make small batches fresh every time. This way, I can also control how wet or dry the chatpate is, depending on personal preference.
- Some prefer their chatpate dry, while others like it more wet, and this can be easily adjusted to suit individual preferences.
Suggested Alterations
These alterations will add a unique flavour profile to the dish while keeping its traditional Nepali elements intact.
- Chickpeas: Add boiled chickpeas to give the dish a creamy texture and a boost of protein.
- Nuts: Add peanuts or cashew nuts for a nutty, earthy flavour and a crunchy texture.
- Incorporate fried sukuti (dried meat) to add a layer of umami depth to the dish.
- Substitute Wai Wai with bhuja, a traditional Indian snack mix, for a different texture and flavour.
- Add pomegranate seeds to the dish to provide a burst of fruity freshness, a tangy flavour, and an interesting texture contrast.
Next try this delicious sukuti chatpate recipe. The star ingredient of this dish is Sukuti, a smoky and savory dried meat that is unique to Nepal. The Sukuti lends a smoky depth to the dish, while the crunchy elements add a delightful crunch.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can prepare the sauces and cut all the vegetables beforehand then mix in the dry ingredients like puffed rice and wai wai right before serving.
The Best Chatpate (Puffed Rice Salad) चट्पटे
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 70 g puffed rice
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Potato Medium sized , boiled for 10 minutes, peeled. Roughly diced
- 1 Tomato Finely diced
- ¼ Cucumber Finely diced
- 1 Red Onion Medium, finely diced
- 1 cup Chickpea Boiled and cooked or from a can
- 3 Sprigs Coriander Finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoon Mustard Oil
- 1 Fresh Green Chilly Finely sliced (add more to increase the spice levels)
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- ½ teaspoon Chilli Powder
- 1 tablespoon Gram Flour You can substitute with plain flour
- 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon Tamarind puree
- 4 Dried red chilly Remove the seeds otherwise it will be too spicy
Chatpate Masala Mix
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan Black Salt (Birenoon) Or substitute with ½ teaspoon chat masala
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Timmur powder (Nepali Sichuan Pepper)
Instructions
Boil the potato
- Boil the potato for 10 minutes, peel and roughly dice into small chucks.
Prepare the Sauce
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together gram flour and cold water, ensuring there are no lumps. Adding gram flour to hot water will result in lumps, so it's essential to use cold water.
- Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat it while stirring continuously for five minutes.
- Add tomato puree, chilli powder, and tamarind sauce to the mixture and keep stirring.
- In a separate pan, heat the vegetable oil and once hot, add dried chilly and turmeric powder. Pour this into the gram flour sauce mix. Warning that there will be a large sizzle and there is a risk the mix might splash onto you, so be careful and use a lid to guard yourself if you have never done this before.
- Reduce the sauce to a moderately thick consistency, similar to that of runny honey. You can remove the dried chilly bits from the sauce and set aside to cool
Combine Ingredients
- Combine all the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Add the Chatpate Masala Spice Mix ingredients to the bowl.
- Add the sauce to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Serve
- When you're ready to serve, add the puffed rice to the bowl and mix well.
- Serve immediately to maintain the crispy texture of the puffed rice and Wai Wai. Delayed serving will make the mixture soggy and lose its crispy texture.
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