As a Pakistani living in the US, I always enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving with an authentic Pakistani theme. This year I have decided to prepare the popular Pakistani ‘chana chaat’ with roasted sweet potatoes. It is a delicious tangy side dish that will pair well with the Thanksgiving turkey. If you love spices and herbs, please do give it a try.
Ingredients:
For sweet potatoes:
- 2-3 sweet potatoes, cut into thin-slice
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt as needed
For ‘chana chaat’:
- 2 cans (16oz) chickpeas, drained
- 1 teaspoon ‘chaat masala’
- ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 red onion, small size, chopped finely
- 3 green chilli, chopped finely
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, cut into half
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Sea salt as needed
- For tamarind sauce:
- 1/2 cup tamarind
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon roasted cumin, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- Sea salt as needed
Method:
Preparing the sweet potatoes:
In a bowl, mix together black peppers, olive oil, and sea salt. Using the mixture, coat the sweet potatoes gently.
Lay the coated sweet potatoes in an even single layer on the baking sheet. Bake the sweet potatoes until light brown. Set aside.
Preparing the ‘chana chaat’:
In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine tamarind, golden raisins, roasted cumin, chili flakes, grapeseed oil, and salt. Blend to make a smooth tamarind sauce. Set aside for ‘chaat’ dressing.
In a large mixing bowl, add chickpeas, ‘chaat masala’, one tablespoon prepared tamarind sauce, onion, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and green chili. Using a wooden spoon, mix gently until all the flavors of the ‘chana chaat’ come together. Set aside.
Assembling ‘chana chaat’:
Place baked sweet potato in an even, single layer on serving dish. Generously put the prepared ‘chana chaat’ on top of sweet potatoes. Then drizzle the prepared yogurt on top of ‘chana chaat’. Season with sea salt and ‘chaat masala’ and serve.