Makhana Chaat is a delicious Indian snack made with lotus seeds, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, peanuts, roasted chana, potatoes, sukha bhel chutney, and topped with sev. This tangy, spicy, fresh, and healthy chaat is easy on the stomach. It’s a perfect light snack for your evening cravings or for serving at chaat parties.
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What is Makhana
Euryale ferox, also known as prickly waterlily, is a plant species native to Southern and Eastern Asia. This plant produces edible starchy white seeds, commonly called foxnuts, lotus seeds, or Makhana.
Makhana is often consumed by roasting and seasoning with spices. It is an excellent source of several essential nutrients and a great addition to a healthy diet. Makhana is low in cholesterol, fat, and sodium, making it an ideal snack for untimely hunger pangs.
Makhana is a great source of protein and fiber while being rich in antioxidants and iron. It is often a popular snack among kids, and parents pack it in lunch boxes and snack containers because it is nutritious and travel-friendly.
Makhana is commonly used during fasting days. Some people also use it to make various recipes, such as desserts, curries, and snacks. These seeds are loved by many and are excellent for everyone. Today, I am sharing my favorite Makhana recipe – Makhana Chaat.
Makhana Chaat
This chaat recipe mixes vegetables, dry chutney, peanuts, bhuna chana, and roasted Makhana. It offers a great variety of flavors, from spicy and tangy to salty, making it a perfect tea-time snack. This bhel can be easily customized based on your preference and should be consumed immediately after preparation to avoid getting soggy.
Once you have roasted the Makhana, boiled the potato, and made the dry chutney, preparation is simple and quick. This chaat is a powerhouse of nutrients and fiber, making it a healthy alternative to street-side chaat recipes. It is perfect for any occasion or celebration as a starter or appetizer.
This chaat recipe fits the bill of someone who is always looking for easy yet delicious and healthy snacks.
Ingredients for Phool Makhana Chaat
Below is the ingredients list and possible substitutions. The exact ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For Masala Makhana
- Makhana: I used plain phool Makhana (lotus seeds), readily available in Indian grocery stores. Despite the package saying “roasted makhana,” I highly recommend pre-roasting before use.
- Ghee (or oil): Ghee gives a pleasant nutty flavor, but you can replace it with any cooking oil.
- Spices: red chili powder, turmeric powder, and black salt.
Sukhi bhel Chutney:
- To make this bhel, you will need special dry chutney. You will need cilantro, mint leaves, Ginger, green chilies, daliya dal, cumin seeds, salt, black salt, black pepper powder, and lemon juice. You can make this chutney ahead of time and store it in the jar in the fridge.
For Bhel
- Vegetables: I used finely chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, and boiled potatoes.
- Peanuts: I used readymade roasted peanuts, which are readily available in Indian stores. You can use salted or unsalted peanuts, which add a nice crunch.
- Bhuna chana (roasted kala chana) is also readily available in Indian grocery stores.
- Sev: Sev is a crispy and fine gram flour noodle known as nylon sev or nylon vermicelli. It’s readily available in Indian grocery stores. Make sure to use fresh ingredients for the best-tasting bhel.
- Spices: I used chaat masala.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes the best and gives a refreshing taste.
- For garnish: Cilantro (coriander leaves) for the final touches.
Step-by-step process
Roast the Makhana
- Put ghee, salt, turmeric powder, and chili powder in a big mixing bowl and mix well. Add Makhana and mix until the Makhanas are nicely coated.
- Set the air fryer at 375 degrees F. for 4 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat. Once preheated, remove the air fryer basket and add the makhanas. Airfry them for 4 minutes, stirring once in between. When done, the makhanas should be crisp and break easily. Keep them aside.
- Note –
- 1. You might hear the noise as the Makhana circulates in the air fryer (they are super light, so this happens); that is normal and okay.
- 2. To roast the makhanas on the stovetop, Follow step one. Then, Roast the makhanas in a pan on medium heat until they crisp up, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the makhanas from the pan.
For Sukha Bhel chutney
- Put all the chutney ingredients (Cilantro, Mint, Daliya dal, Ginger, green chilies, Salt, Black salt, black pepper powder, cumin seeds, and lemon juice) in a blender jar. Crush them into a coarse powder. Set them aside.
- Note: This sukha bhel chutney recipe makes ¾ cups of chutney. We will use this chutney as required and store the remaining in the fridge for later use.
Let’s make sukha bhel
- Take roasted Masala Makhana in a big mixing bowl.
- Add peanuts, Bhuna chana, boiled potatoes, chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, chopped onion, 3 to 4 tablespoons of prepared sukha bhel chutney, chaat masala, cilantro, lemon juice, and sev. Mix everything well. Give a taste test and add some more bhel chutney if required.
- Serve it immediately. Enjoy!!
Variations for Makhana Bhel
Add pomegranate seeds, raw mango, carrots, and moong sprouts to this bhel.
You can add green chutney, sweet chutney, and garlic chutney instead of dry bhel chutney.
Make-Ahead instructions
You can prep all the ingredients, like dry chutney, roast the Makhana, boiled potatoes, and roasting peanuts, chop veggies a day before, and store them in the fridge. Assemble the bhel just before serving.
Notes, tips, and quick FAQs
- Roast the makhanas well to make them crispier.
- Serve and enjoy the bhel immediately, as the Makhana tends to get soggy quickly.
- The recipe is gluten-free.
- Keep all the ingredients ready before assembling the bhel.
- Mix the moist ingredients (tomato, onion, cucumber, and potato) with dry ingredients only when ready to serve.
- Adjust the dry bhel chutney as per your personal preferences.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
- Pack each ingredient separately in small boxes to carry this makhana chaat for picnics or gatherings. Once you are ready to serve, mix everything in a large mixing bowl and serve.
To make a Jain version, skip adding Ginger, onions, and potatoes to the recipe.
Yes, it is.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but they’re best consumed within a day, as they will get soft and soggy and not be crunchy.
Yes, it is a healthier snack. Makhana keeps you full for a long time. All the other ingredients added to this bhel are also relatively healthy except the Sev, which is fried. You can skip that if you want to.
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Makhana Chaat
Ingredients
For Dry Bhel Chutney
- ⅓ cup daliya dal Roasted Daliya split, available in Indian grocery stores
- ¾ cup cilantro
- ⅓ cup mint
- 1 inch Ginger
- 3 to 4 green chili I have used spicy Thai green chilies you can use any variety spicy chilies
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black salt
To roast the Makhana
- 6 cups Phool Makhana Lotus seeds around 100 grams.
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
For bhel
- 1 cup tomato cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup potato boiled peeled, and diced into bite sized cubes
- 1 cup cucumber diced into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ⅓ cup roasted peanuts
- ⅓ cup Bhuna chana roasted black chana
- ½ tablespoon chaat masala
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup fine sev nylon sev
Instructions
Roast the Makhana
- Put ghee, salt, turmeric powder, and chili powder in a big mixing bowl and mix well. Add Makhana and mix until the Makhanas are nicely coated.
- Set the air fryer at 375 degrees F. for 4 minutes. Let the air fryer preheat. Once preheated, remove the air fryer basket and add the makhanas. Airfry them for 4 minutes, stirring once in between. When done, the makhanas should be crisp and break easily. Keep them aside.
- Note – 1. You might hear the noise as the Makhana circulates in the air fryer (they are super light, so this happens); that is normal and okay. 2. To roast the Makhanas on the stovetop, Follow step one. Then, Roast the Makhanas in a pan on medium heat until they crisp up, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the Makhanas from the pan.
- Put all the chutney ingredients (Cilantro, Mint, Daliya dal, Ginger, green chilies, Salt, Black salt, black pepper powder, cumin seeds, and lemon juice) in a blender jar. Crush them into a coarse powder. Set them aside.
- Note: This sukha bhel chutney recipe makes ¾ cups of chutney. We will use this chutney as required and store the remaining in the fridge for later use.
Let’s make sukha bhel
- Take roasted Masala Makhana in a big mixing bowl.
- Add peanuts, Bhuna chana, boiled potatoes, chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, chopped onion, 3 to 4 tablespoons of prepared sukha bhel chutney, chaat masala, cilantro, lemon juice, and sev. Mix everything well. Give a taste test and add some more bhel chutney if required.
- Serve it immediately. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Roast the makhanas well to make them crispier.
- Serve and enjoy the bhel immediately, as the Makhana tends to get soggy quickly.
- The recipe is gluten-free.
- Keep all the ingredients ready before assembling the bhel.
- Mix the moist ingredients (tomato, onion, cucumber, and potato) with dry ingredients only when ready to serve.
- Adjust the dry bhel chutney as per your personal preferences.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
- Pack each ingredient separately in small boxes to carry this makhana chaat for picnics or gatherings. Once you are ready to serve, mix everything in a large mixing bowl and serve.
Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
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