Chaat
India's tangy street snacks of crisp, chutney, yoghurt and spice, built on sweet, sour and hot.
Also: chat, papdi chaat, bhel puri, pani puri, golgappa
Chaat comes from the Hindi word for lick, and names a large family of snacks: bhel puri, sev puri, pani puri or golgappa, papdi chaat, aloo tikki and dahi vada. A typical plate stacks crisp pieces, boiled potato or chickpeas, tamarind chutney, green mint-coriander chutney, yoghurt, sev and a dusting of chaat masala, roasted cumin and chilli powder. The thrill is contrast: crunch and softness, sweet and sour, hot and cool. Pani puri's spiced water often carries mint, cumin, black salt, tamarind and chilli. Each city has its own style, and chaat is one of the best introductions to Indian spicing.