I was at a restaurant that made a delicious chickpea salad consisting of cold chickpeas, small chunks of potatoes, bits of cilantro, sprinkled throughout with some sort of red powder that looked something like red chili powder . It had a pleasant taste and a bit of a spicy bite to it. Could this have been red chili powder? I thought such a powder had to be cooked, not "sprinkled" on top of food, or mixed in with the other cold ingredients. Is there some other sort of red powder that this may have been? It looked like an easy dish to make, as long as you have the right red powder!

Hello felafelBoy

What you are describing sounds like chickpea Chat, a spicy snack that can be used as a starter and the red powder that it had was either chilli or paprika powder.

The things it basically contains are; boiled and drained chickpeas, a little of finely chopped red onions, green chillies, tomatoes, coriander leaves (cilantro), salt, chilli powder, roast cumin powder, sometimes a little garam masala and either a sprinkling of lemon juice or a tablespoon (per serving) of tamarind chutney/green chutney. Sometimes we add a little of beaten natural yoghurt too.

It is indeed an easy dish to assemble, specially if you use tinned chickpeas in brine. We often have it as a snack. You can make similar sort of dish with a tin of mushy peas too. Come to think about it, it is easy to write as well, so I will write it and add it to the site now. See Chickpea Salad or Chat

Mamta

I often use Paprika as a sprinkling on things (even boiled eggs) so no its not essential that its cooked, same would go for chilli powder only be very careful with it...

Hi,

I think what you are describing may be SOUMAK. I've tasted a similar dish at a Lebanese restaurant and know it is widely used in Middle Eastern cooking. Soumak is made from a berry and as quite a lemony/tangy taste. I hope this is of some help.

Mamta - your recipe description of this chickpea chat is similar to what I had. The red powder was definitely not paprika (though there may be some paprika I am not familiar with that may carry the taste I had - Hungarian paprika, for example, is much more flavorful than the generic paprika most Americans are used to).

This chat as far as I could tell, did contain small cut up tomatoes, red onions, cilantro. It may have had some garam masala mixed in. I was not aware of any tamarind or green chile consistency. The chat was not sour, and I did like it with a small amount of raita.

I was unaware that chili powder could be consumed without cooking it first.

I look forward to the recipe that you have provided for us.

This dish at the restaurant I visited was among the offerings at pre-lunch appetizer table also containing very small half-moon shaped crispy dough shells that served as containers for chick peas and other small items to be placed in it and topped with a sauce. I don't know the name of this little snack, but I did see people eating it before their main lunch meal.

Hello

Were they like the round ?gole gappas? as in this recipe picture;Gole gappa?

Or, could they be a flat versions of these, known as 'papri'. See; papri Chaat. Unfortunately this recipe does not have pictures. For picture, see http://festivals.iloveindia.com/karwa-chauth/papri-chat.htm or here http://photos.dcfoodies.com/dsc00048.html

You can make 'Papri' by frying tortilla pieces, as in this recipe: Tortilla in yoghurt sauce.

The tamarind sauce (dark brown sauce) or green sauce/chutney would be in small bowls nearby. Indians will know that the chutney/sauce was meant for chaat dishes of various sort. They will taste quite good without the sauce/chutney/lime juice as well, but these things just enhance the taste of a Chaat.

Hope this helps.

Mamta

Mamta - yes, what I have seen at several restaurants is exactly the round ?gole gappas? as pictured in the link you provided. Condiments offered were very similar to what was pictured, too. I have seen this primarily offered on the weekend lunch buffets of Indian restaurants I visit, and not during the week.

Aha, one of my favourite snacks and very, very popular in Noprthern India :-)! They are called Puchka in Bengal/Calcutta region.

The firewater is also worth a try, very easy to make in a blender and it is very delicious. You can of course reduce the chillies.

This dish is not actually part of a main meal, just a street snack of India. We sometimes do a buffet party of Chaat dishes only, all vegetarian and it alays goes down very well with our Indian friends. That buffete will of course include several spicy dishes, including chickpeas.

Best wishes

Mamta

Small point, you can eat chillies without cooking them so why couldn't you eat the powder without cooking ? (you might not like it, but I'm sure it wouldn't do you anymore harm than normal)

Steve :-)

Thanks Steven, I forgot to address that point :-(.

Yes chilli powder can be eaten uncooked. It is often added as a garnish/sprinkle on yoghurt dishes like raita, added to salads and chats, sprinkled on top and often added to dishes that are deemed not hot enough on the table.

Mamta

Yes, your remark about uncooked chili powder on other food makes sense.

I wonder what other Indian spices are suitable for eating on salads without frying or boiling them. I know of some people who add cumin powder, coriander powder, and/or asofoetida (hing), to their hummus mix (blend of chickpeas, sesame tahini, garlic, salt, lemon juice, olive oil).

I suppose one reason these spices are fried, boiled, etc. is to bring out more flavor from them. I just wondered if any of them could give digestion problems without a heating application.

Other spices that can be added raw are garam masala, dry mango powder (amchoor), fennel powder and cumin powder, to name a few. Ground cumin is often used as a garnish on yoghurt dishes, Chaats and salads. However, it is better in flavour if you dry roast the cumin on a pan first and then coarsely grind it.

Turmeric has a very important place in ancient Ayurvedic medicine and is often taken in hot milk to reduce inflammation, promote healing and in chesty coughs. I have never tried asafoetida raw, smell is too awful! However, it is used raw, mixed with ghee, to put on a child's naval (belly button), to reduce colic.

I hope to add a section on foods that heal on the site one day soon. My sister in India has written it down for me, I just have to get around to editing it!

Mamta