Palak Chaat, but not as you know it! This is my version, made with crispy palak pakora, rather than deep-frying each spinach leaf. It's quicker to make than the original and every bit as irresistible.
Traditionally, Palak Chaat (or Palak Patta Chaat) is made by coating each spinach leaf in a light gram flour batter, deep-frying until crisp, and then layering it with chutneys, yogurt, and all those glorious chaat toppings.
But when I tried a restaurant version that used spinach pakoras instead, I was instantly hooked. The pakoras were crispy and had their own delicious flavour. I just knew I had to recreate the dish at home!
Other chaat recipes with a difference are my dhokla chaat and hash brown & pineapple chaat.
The Recipe Details
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Instead of frying each leaf separately, the spinach is chopped and mixed with gram flour, rice flour (for crispiness), and spices to form little fritters that are deep-fried until golden and crisp.
I also love that this version feels a little lighter — it’s more spinach-forward than batter-heavy, which means the flavour of the spinach really shines through. Plus, it’s much quicker to make (no standing over hot oil, frying one leaf at a time!).
I top the pakoras with sweet yogurt, tangy chutneys, a sprinkle of chaat masala, pomegranate and lots of sev. Everything a good chaat should have.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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📖 Recipe
Palak Pakora Chaat
Ingredients
Palak Pakora
- 1 cup spinach chopped
- ¼ cup besan
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon whole spices cumin, coriander, fennel and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ajwain carom seeds
- salt
- water
- oil for deep frying
Toppings
- 1 cup sweetened yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chaat masala
- ½ cup imli chutney
- ½ cup green mint and coriander chutney
- ¼ cup red garlic chutney
- ½ cup sev
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils
- ⅓ cup coriander leaves
- ⅓ cup red onion
Instructions
Spinach Pakora
- First coarsly grind whole spices (cumin, coriander, fennel and whole black pepper) using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
- In a big bowl add chopped spinach, ground whole spices, carom seeds, turmeric powder, besan, rice flour and salt.
- Mix it with a spoon, then add water little by little and combine everything. You do not need a runny batter - as long as the mixture sticks together, stop adding water. The batter should have more green from the spinach, rather than more besan and it will be gloopy in consistency. Check the video for details.
- Heat oil in a kadai/pan on medium heat.
- Take one tablespoon of batter with your your fingers (do not attempt to shape the batter into balls) or spoon and carefully drop in hot oil. Don't add more than 8-10 at a time in the pan as it will overcrowd. The more irregular in shape they are, the crunchier they will become.
- Turn the heat little down a little, turn them around with slotted spoon and deep fry until crispy but not brown. It will take around 3-4 minutes. Remove using slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Assemble the Chaat
- Dollop few spoons of sweetened yogurt on a serving plate, and spread a little.
- Then arranged palak pakora on the yogurt, sprinkle chaat masala.
- Spoon remaining yogurt on pakoras, then pour over the chutneys to your liking.
- Sprinkle sev, pomegranate arils, red onions and coriander leaves.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
I enjoy serving this chaat fresh and assembled at the last minute, it feels so vibrant, indulgent and perfect for tea time or casual entertaining.