Chaat is a popular category of street foods of India, the uniqueness of which is a range of textures and burst of flavors in one small plate or bowl. It can be cold or hot. It can even have hot and cold components in the same dish, such as cold chutneys and yogurt (commonly called curd in India) on top of hot potato patty and hot chickpea curry. Some components can be crunchy and some mushy. The flavors include savory, sweet, sour, spicy all in the same little bowl or plate. Some chaats are only hot and only cold. Most have a fried component, but fruit chaats are just a variety of chopped fruits with seasoning that triggers drooling.
The word ‘chaat’ literally means ‘lick’. You would want to lick the plate clean when the chaat is finished.
Pro Tips: Never mix the chaat fully. The idea is to get different proportions of the components in each spoon, and so a different taste with each bite. Those who are more accustomed to mild tastes may take small bites to begin with, as the burst of flavors may surprise you.
