I love to chaat

I'm in love and his name is Simla Chaat. I had this dish on my hen night last year  when we went to the Suruchi restaurant in Edinburgh and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I love the mixture of spicy and sweet.  I'm not too sure where the name comes from other than that Simla is an Indian city (now called Shimla) in the north of India and was seen as the 'summer capital' of the British Raj and that Chaat is an Indic word literally meaning to lick. Well since making and eating it I haven't been able to stop licking my lips!!

Recipe

A splash of olive oil

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 Red chilli (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons chaat masala (from most good Indian food shops)

Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)

400g can of chickpeas (washed and drained)

1/2 cup of  water

1 tablespoon of mango chutney

1 small cucumber (peeled and diced)

1 ripe banana (peeled and diced)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chillis stirring until fragrant. add the ground ginger, ground coriander, chaat masala and half the fresh coriander leaves. stir for 1/2 a minute. Add the chickpeas, water and mango chutney. Simmer (stirring occasionally) until the chickpeas are tender and the juices have evaporated. leave to cool (This tastes lovely just as it is with pitta bread)

Once cool add the rest of the fresh coriander leaves, cucumber and banana. Serve as a starter or as a light lunch with pitta bread or chapatis.