Mealtime Magic - Cucumber Papdi Chaat

Cucumber Papdi Chaat

Serves 2 as a main dish

Craving chaat? My twist on this iconic Indian street food dish uses cucumber slices as papdi (crispy deep-fried flour-based rounds). Layered with creamy Greek yogurt and spiced chickpeas, and topped with tangy chutneys and crispy masala peanuts, this makes an easy, refreshing, and delicious summer lunch.

Ingredients
MASALA PEANUTS

1 Tbsp chickpea flour
2 tsp water
1 tsp avocado oil
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ cup/28g raw skinned peanuts, or cashews or skinned almonds

CHAAT
¾ cup/170g whole-milk plain Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt
1–2 Tbsp water
¾ cup/100g canned or cooked chickpeas, drained
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cayenne
3 baby cucumbers, or 1 large cucumber (11 oz/300g), sliced into disks 1/16 in/2mm thick
2 Tbsp tamarind-date chutney (such as Swad)
1½ Tbsp cilantro/fresh coriander chutney (such as Swad)
½ cup/90g finely chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup/40g finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro/fresh coriander
1 tsp chaat masala (optional)

Directions
Step 1. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F/180°C or oven to 400°F/200°C.

Step 2. Mix together all the ingredients for masala peanuts, except the peanuts, in a bowl. Add the peanuts and mix until they are coated with the paste. Lightly spray an air fryer base with oil and
spread the nut mixture evenly on the base. Air fry for 5 minutes, tossing halfway through. If using the oven, spread the peanuts evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (you can also lightly spray the parchment) and bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown, turning over halfway through (you may need to use a spoon to scrape the peanut mixture off the parchment). Remove from the air fryer or oven and let cool. Finely chop or pulse the peanuts 3–4 times in a food processor and set aside.

Step 3. Whip the yogurt in a bowl with just enough water to make it spreadable. In a separate bowl, mix the chickpeas with salt and cayenne.

Step 4. Layer half the cucumber slices, chickpeas, and yogurt on a plate. Drizzle half the tamarind-date chutney and coriander chutney over the top. Sprinkle with half the tomato, onion, and masala peanuts on top. Repeat to assemble the second plate.
Garnish with cilantro and chaat masala and serve.

Cooking Notes
Double the recipe for masala peanuts. You can store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. In a pinch, use any salted or spiced nuts in place of the masala peanuts.

Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath,

The Collective Book Studio, January 2023. Photo credit Alexandra Shytsman

In her debut cookbook, The Vegetarian Reset, Vasudha Viswanath celebrates a lifestyle where a foodie’s sensibility intersects with eating healthy. It solves the never-ending dilemma that vegetarians face – is life fun when you eat a salad every day or is your health taking a backseat when you eat a big bowl of rice or pasta without enough protein?

Within the pages of this delicious cookbook, Vasudha has created 75 low-carb and high-protein recipes that are rooted in whole foods like vegetables, legumes, spices, and healthy fats. Her recipes take readers on a culinary trip around the world, drawing inspiration from an array of traditional eastern and western cuisines.

The recipes put vegetables front and center for low-carb alternatives to white rice or noodles and creating breads out of less-processed alternatives like chickpea and almond flour. Smoothies are refreshingly savory, and desserts are lightly sweetened with whole fruit. Nutritional facts are provided for each recipe. Moderate amounts of full-fat dairy and eggs are called for in some recipes, but vegan alternatives are often suggested as well.

Whether you already follow a low-carb lifestyle or simply want to add more healthy dishes into your rotation, The Vegetarian Reset will delight and inspire everyone to eat well and fully nourish your body.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasudha Viswanath is the founder of We Ate Well, a community for foodies that focuses on eating mindfully and sustainably on a vegetarian diet. She has been a lifelong vegetarian and passionate home cook. Her journey into eating healthy started with a doctor’s note about her elevated blood sugar after a routine physical. She transformed the way she cooks to cut out excessive starch and sugar and has never felt better. After spending over a decade on Wall Street where she specialized in technology and business strategy, Vasudha left her career in finance to write a cookbook and create We Ate Well. She grew up in Bangalore, India and now lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. Her web site is www.v8well.com