CHAATOS

A beautiful fusion of the different elements in Indian street food with the delicious Mexican snack. Crispy stone-ground tortilla chips topped with layers of sharp cheeses, starchy potatoes & chickpeas. All topped off with fresh-cut onions & tomatoes. And garnished with a tamarind date & spicy cilantro chutneys.

What’s not to love about Nachos? Crispy tortilla chips coated with a melty layer of cheese topped with delicious veggies & beans! I mean YUMM! might just be an understatement.

Nachos for me are comfort food and I have a little tradition that a friend of mine introduced me to. Every month or so after a long day at work I come home and make a batch of these for myself, a little self-care Friday tradition that we started to enjoy.

So, for Cinco de Mayo this year I decided to put a little twist on the classic nachos and add a little Indian flair to them and thus came Chaatos. A beautiful fusion of the different elements in Indian street food with the delicious Mexican dish.

Crispy stone-ground tortilla chips topped with layers of sharp cheeses, starchy potatoes & chickpeas. All topped off with fresh-cut onions & tomatoes. And, instead of the pico de gallo & salsa, we have a sweet & tangy tamarind date chutney & a spicy cilantro chutney to top these delicious toasted cheesy chips.

A fun & delicious little Indian spin on the classic snack!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces tortilla chips

• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

• 3/4 cup Sharp Cheddar, grated (an Emmental, Gruyère, or an aged Gouda work as well)

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 1 small carrot, grated (optional)

• 1/2 cup boiled potato, diced

• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed

• 1/4 cup tamarind date chutney (garnish)

• 1/4 cup spicy cilantro chutney (garnish)

• 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (garnish)

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (garnish)

• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (garnish)

• 1/4 teaspoon amchur powder, a dry mango powder used to add tang to a dish (garnish)

• 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts (garnish, optional)

• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)

• 1 fresh jalapeño, sliced (garnish)

• 3 tablespoons sev (garnish)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper & coat with some nonstick spray. Lay out the tortilla chips in a single layer on the baking sheet and top with the chickpeas, potato, & cheese.

Place in the oven & bake until the cheese is bubbling & melted.

Top with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney, roasted peanuts, cumin powder, chaat masala, amchur powder, sev, & jalapeño. Add in lime juice and serve immediately.