Matar Chaat Recipe | How to make Matar Chaat

Matar chaat recipe with step-by-step photos and tips: Looking for a lip-smacking chaat? Try this family favorite matar chaat recipe. This hot, spicy dried white peas chaat topped with freshly chopped onion, green chili, tamarind water, and coriander leaves will be a hit at any place.

Matar chaat is a popular street food snack in India. Every region has its own version of making this chaat.

This is one of the go-to chaat recipes that I make quite often, especially during weekdays. It uses no fancy ingredients, easy-to-assemble, light on the stomach, and completely vegan. Moreover, I use the same white peas gravy as a side dish with roti, paratha, or rice.

This chaat makes a great evening snack or dinner. You can even pair it with kulcha or puri.

I love adding potatoes in the matar chaat; however, it is completely optional and can be avoided as well.

Some more similar snacks, you can check:

• Ghugni Recipe
• Boiled Potato Chaat
• Masala Roasted Potato
• Jhal Muri

Preparation Step by Step

• Wash the white peas and soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain the water and add the peas to a pressure cooker along with potato cubes, turmeric powder, salt, and water. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles over a medium flame. 
• Remove the pressure cooker from the flame and let the pressure release. 

• In the meantime, heat a pan and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chili, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Saute over low flame for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Then transfer to a plate and allow it to cool down. 
• Once done grind or crush the dry roasted spices into a coarse powder and set aside. 
• Take chopped tomato, chopped ginger, cumin seeds, and salt in the small grinding jar and grind to a paste, and set aside.

• Now heat oil in a pan. Once the oil turns hot add hing/asafoetida. Wait for a few seconds then add the tomato paste and saute over lower medium flame until oil separates. 
• Add the Kashmiri red chili powder and saute for a few seconds more. 

• Add the pressure cooked peas and potatoes. Saute to mix and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once done turn off the flame add lemon juice, chopped coriander, and ½ tsp freshly made spice mix powder. Stir to mix. 
• White peas gravy is ready. 
• Transfer the gravy into individual serving plates. 
• Top with finely chopped onion, thick tamarind water, and black salt.
• Also add chopped green chili, ground spice mix, and finely chopped coriander. 
• Finally, top with sev and serve immediately. 

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Make sure to soak the white peas in water for at least 8 hours. 
• Do not overcook the peas or else they will become mushy.
• To make the chaat even healthier skip adding sev.
• If asafoetida is not available skip it.
• For thick tamarind water, soak tamarind pulp in hot water for 10 minutes. Then squeeze with your hand to extract the thick tamarind water. If required you can strain it as well. 
• Tamarind water can be replaced with fresh lemon juice or thick beaten curd/yogurt.
• Roasted ground spice mix enhances the flavor of the chaat. If you are in a hurry substitute it with roasted cumin powder or chaat masala powder.
• Add spices according to your taste and preference. You can increase or decrease the amount mentioned.
• Skip chilies, if serving kids. 
• To amp up the flavor of this chaat papdi, plain or sweetened curd(yogurt), green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney can be used as well.
• You can prepare the matar gravy in advance, then refrigerate and heat it just before assembling the chaat.

If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating. You can also tag me @spoonofflavor on Instagram.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Matar Chaat Recipe

A lip-smacking chaat prepared with white peas gravy, spices, & herbs. It is light, nutritious, & vegan.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Matar chaat recipe, White matar chaat

Servings4 people

Author Geetanjali

INGREDIENTS ( 1 CUP = 250 ML )

• 1 cup dried white peas
• 1 medium potato peeled, washed, & cut into small cubes (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Salt or as needed
• 3 tbsp oil I have used sunflower oil
• 1 pinch or ⅛ tsp hing/asafoetida
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder non-spicy
• 1 tsp lemon juice fresh
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro finely chopped

For spice paste

• 2 medium tomatoes roughly sliced or chopped
• 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp salt

For the ground spice mix

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 1 small dry red chili desseded
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick

For serving

• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup thick tamarind water (tamarind pulp+hot water)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 1 tsp black salt
• ¼ cup nylon sev

INSTRUCTIONS

• Wash the white peas and soak them in enough water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain the water and add the peas in a pressure cooker along with potato cubes, turmeric powder, salt, and water. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles over a medium flame.
• Remove the pressure cooker from flame and let the pressure release.
• Heat a pan and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chili, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Saute over low flame for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Then transfer to a plate and allow it to cool down.
• Once done grind or crush the dry roasted spices into a coarse powder and set aside.
• Take chopped tomato, chopped ginger, cumin seeds and salt in the small grinding jar and grind to a paste and set aside.
• Now heat oil in a pan. Once the oil turns hot add hing/asafoetida. Wait for a few seconds then add the tomato paste and saute over lower medium flame until oil separates.
• Add the Kashmiri red chili powder and saute for a few seconds more.
• Add the pressure cooked peas and potato. Saute to mix and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once done turn off the flame, add lemon juice, chopped coriander, and ½ tsp freshly made spice mix powder. Stir to mix.
• White peas gravy is ready.
• Transfer the gravy into individual serving plates.
• Top with finely chopped onion and thick tamarind water. Sprinkle black salt.
• Also add chopped green chili, ground spic mix, and finely chopped coriander.
• Finally, top with sev and serve immediately.

Notes

• Make sure to soak the white peas in water for at least 8 hours.
• Do not overcook the peas or else they will become mushy.
• To make the chaat even healthier skip adding sev.
• If hing or asafoetida is not available skip it. 
• For thick tamarind water, soak tamarind pulp in hot water for 10 minutes. Then squeeze to extract the thick tamarind water. If required you can strain it as well.
• Tamarind water can be replaced with fresh lemon juice or thick beaten curd/yogurt.
• Roasted ground spice mix enhances the flavor of the chaat. If you are in a hurry substitute it with roasted cumin powder or chaat masala powder.
• Add spices according to your taste and preference. You can increase or decrease the amount mentioned.
• Skip chilies, if serving kids.
• To amp up the flavor of this chaat papdi, plain or sweetened curd(yogurt), green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney can be used as well.
• You can prepare the matar gravy in advance, then refrigerate and heat it just before assembling the chaat.