Green Mango, Georgia Sweet Corn, and Seasonal Vegetable Chaat

Cultural Context

This dish showcases the flavors of the street foods of India, and the Indian community in North Decatur, where restaurants such as Chaat Patti, Chai Pani, and Masti that exclusively serve chaat abound.

This healthy and colorful recipe is inspired by Bhel Puri, a type of chaat, where both crunchy and starchy vegetables are tossed with sev (crunchy chickpea noodles) and puffed rice, with tamarind and green chutneys.

Chaat refers to various forms of snacks that can be purchased from carts in major cities across the Indian subcontinent, and usually incorporates elements that are combined to form a sweet, sour, salty, and spicy mixture, with a variety of textures and often two or three chutneys to bring it all together.

Our version uses seasonal Georgia vegetables that are at their freshest this time of year, and raw diced green mango for a firm crunch and assertive tang, both in the salad and made into a sweet, sour and spicy chutney that stands in for the traditional tamarind.

Sev and Indian puffed rice are not always readily available in many parts of Georgia, so we’ve substituted unsweetened dry cereals like cornflakes and crisped rice. Your chaat is yours to create as you wish, but the chutneys are essential!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced boiled potato
• 1 cup fresh corn, cut off the cob
• 1 jalapeno, small dice
• ½ cup Vidalia or red onion, small dice
• 1 green mango, peeled until no green fibrous flesh remains, small dice, divided
• 1 cup diced tomato, or quartered grape or cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
• ½ cup cilantro leaves
• 2 cups cornflakes
• ½ cup crisped rice cereal
• 3 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss cereals with 2 teaspoons oil on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, until slightly darkened and very crisp. Remove from oven, let cool completely on the baking sheet and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet until hot. Add corn, and cook over high heat until charred in some spots and slightly caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
3. Combine potato, jalapeno, onion, tomato, cucumber, cooked corn, 1 cup of the diced green mango, peanuts and cilantro leaves in a large bowl. It will get soggy if left too long, so just before serving, fold in the crisped cereals and serve chutneys on the side.

Green Chutney

• 1 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
• 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup water
• 1 small serrano chili, seeds and stem removed, quartered
• ½ tsp cumin
• Juice of ½ fresh lemon, or more to taste

Place all ingredients in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed. Taste and season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Use leftover green chutney as a salsa verde on eggs, top a rice bowl, or serve with grilled meats.

Green Mango Chutney

• 1 cup reserved diced green mango
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp hot paprika
• Pinch cayenne
• ½ cup water or more if needed to aid blending
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

Transfer chutney to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer to reduce for about 5 minutes until thick. Taste and season with salt. Set aside to cool completely.

Use leftover green mango chutney as a dipping sauce, in marinades, brushed over grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp, stirred into a coconut curry, or as the base of a vinaigrette. It also would make a great substitute for honey when glazing or roasting carrots.

Raita

• ½ cup yogurt
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp coriander
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp finely chopped fresh garlic

Stir all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.