Crispy Rice Pakora Chaat
30 Minutes
Indian / Indian Fusion
Serves: 6
Crispy Rice Pakora Chaat is a vibrant Indian street-style dish that transforms leftover Basmati Rice into golden, crunchy pakoras layered with yogurt, chutneys, fresh fruit, and chaat spices. Each bite delivers a balance of crisp texture, tangy yogurt, sweet mango, and aromatic spices, creating a refreshing and flavorful appetizer perfect for gatherings.
Ingredients
Pakoras:
- 2 cups boiled rice
- 1 medium potato, grated and squeezed well in cold water
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 tsp green chili, minced
- 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped with stems
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- Salt, to taste
Fresh Masala:
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 8–10 black peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- 1 small piece mace
Ginger Green Chili Yogurt:
- 2 cups yogurt, whisked
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp ginger, finely minced
- ½ tsp green chili, very finely minced
- 6–8 curry leaves, finely chopped
- 2–3 tsp beetroot juice
Chaat Masala:
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp black salt
- ½ tsp salt
Chaat Toppings:
- ½ cup moong sprouts, boiled
- 1 cup ripe mango, finely diced
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp fine sev
- Green chutney
- Tamarind chutney
Preparation
- Prepare the fresh masala by lightly crushing the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, and mace into a coarse powder and set this aside.
- In a large bowl, add the boiled rice, grated potato, chopped onion, ginger and green chili, and cilantro. Add rice flour, turmeric, asafoetida, garam masala, salt, and the freshly ground masala. Mix everything well until the mixture comes together.
- Shape the mixture into small bite-sized balls. Heat oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Remove and let cool on a paper towel.
- In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with sugar and salt until smooth. Heat oil for the tadka, then add ginger, green chili, and curry leaves, and sauté until aromatic. Pour the hot tadka over the yogurt and mix well. Add beetroot juice gradually to achieve a light pink color.
- Mix together the red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and salt to prepare the chaat masala and set aside.
- To assemble, spread the yogurt at the base of your serving dish and arrange the crispy rice pakoras over it. Top with moong sprouts, mango, pomegranate, and sev. Drizzle green chutney and tamarind chutney, then sprinkle the prepared chaat masala on top.
- Serve immediately as a chaat platter or assemble into individual mini plates. Perfect for entertaining or as a vibrant summer appetizer, enjoy!
