Ragda chaat is a popular Indian street food dish made with dried white peas curry (ragda) served with various toppings like chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, sweet tamarind chutney, spicy green chutney, sev (crunchy chickpea noodles), and spices. It is healthy, vegan, and delicious!
I'm sharing how to make a street-style Ragda chaat recipe using the Instant Pot, a pressure cooker, and a regular pot on the stovetop.
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If you love Indian chaat but want to keep it healthy, you must try Ragda chaat. It's a healthy chaat that satisfies your chaat cravings and is nutritious and protein-packed.
You can make ragda (dried white peas curry), and chutneys ahead of time and keep them in the fridge so you can make Ragda chaat in 5 minutes.
Try our other favorite Mumbai street-style chaat recipes Sev Puri and Bhel Puri.
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What is Ragda Chaat?
Ragda chaat, or Matar chaat is a popular Indian street food made with dried white peas. It is served with various toppings like chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, tamarind chutney, green chutney, and sev (crunchy chickpea noodles).
Dried white peas are also known as Matar in Hindi, and Safed Vatana in Marathi. They are nutritious and packed with fiber and proteins.
This white peas curry known as Ragda forms the base of ragda chaat, and is a mildly spiced flavorful curry commonly used with other popular chaat recipes like Ragda pattice and pani puri.
This recipe of ragda chaat is healthy, vegan gluten-free, and perfect for a snack.
Recipe Ingredients
Dried white peas - are commonly used in the Ragda recipe. You can also use yellow or green dried peas. These are easily available at Indian grocery stores.
Veggies - I use chopped onions and tomatoes as toppings for this white peas chaat. You can also add boiled potato or cucumber.
Chutneys - Cilantro Mint chutney (green chutney) and Tamarind Chutney (sweet chutney) are the two main condiments to flavor this chaat. You can also add red garlic chutney.
Green chili - this adds a spicy kick to the chaat. It's optional and can be skipped or added based on your spice preference.
Spices - For Ragda curry, you will need basic spices like Asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. You can also add coriander powder and garam masala.
For chaat, I use black salt (kala namak in Hindi), roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, red chili powder, dried mint (optional), and lemon juice to flavor the chaat. You can adjust these based on your taste preference.
For garnish - Cilantro (coriander leaves), thin sev (also known as nylon sev or nylon vermicelli), or Aloo Bhujiya. In addition, you can also add pomegranate pearls, crushed puri, ginger julienned, and raw mango pieces (if available) for that street-style presentation.
Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients.
How To Make Ragda Chaat (Stepwise Photos)
Make Ragda
Rinse the dried white peas in water and then soak them in 3 cups or enough water for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. Or soak them in hot water for 4-5 hours. They will double in size. Drain the soaked peas and rinse them again. Set aside.
For cooking ragda, you can use an Instant Pot, a pressure cooker, or a pot.
1 - Heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida (hing). Let the seeds splutter and then add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix well and ensure the spices dont burn.
2 - Add the soaked and drained white peas to the pot. Mix well to coat the peas with the spices.
3 - Add water, and salt and close the lid. For Instant Pot, cook on Manual, pressure cook, or bean chili mode for 20 minutes on high pressure. For softer ragda, pressure cook for 30 minutes.
If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook the ragda for 2-3 whistles on medium-high heat and then lower and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the peas are tender.
If using a pot, cover and simmer the ragda for about 30-40 minutes or until the peas are soft.
4 - Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and make sure the ragda is well cooked. The peas should be soft and mushy. Start the pot back on saute. Mash some of the peas with the back of a spoon to thicken the gravy.
Adjust the consistency of the ragda by adding more water if needed. Simmer for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Once done, remove the ragda from heat, It is ready to be used in ragda chaat or served as a side dish.
Assemble Ragda Chaat
5 - In a serving bowl, add about one cup of the cooked ragda.
5 and 6 - Top it with 1 tablespoon green chutney, 2 tablespoons tamarind chutney, 2 tablespoons onions, and 2 tablespoons tomatoes.
7 - To flavor the chaat, sprinkle chaat masala, black salt, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder (optional), and lemon juice.
8 - Garnish with cilantro, sev, dried mint (crushed), and chili (optional).
You can also add some crushed puri or papdi for crunch, masala boondi, pomegranate pearls, whisked yogurt (dahi), and ginger (you can skip if you dont like raw ginger). Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Ragda chaat tastes best when served hot or warm. Make sure to serve it immediately after assembling it with all the toppings for the best taste and texture.
For parties or crowds, create a customizable ragda chaat bowl by offering bowls of ragda, along with various toppings. Allow everyone to assemble their chaat bowls according to their preferences.
Variations
Ragda Pattice or Aloo tikki ragda chaat - serve ragda and chaat ingredients over aloo tikki or potato patties.
Samosa Ragda Chaat - Crumbled samosas are topped with ragda and a variety of chaat toppings
Dahi Ragda Chaat - drizzle whisked yogurt over the chaat.
Ragda Puri - Serve ragda in small, crispy puris (hollow fried bread) and add toppings such as onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chutneys, sev, and chaat masala.
Matar Kulcha - serve Delhi street style with kulcha, achar, and onion salad.
Recipe Tips
I recommend soaking the dried peas overnight or soak in hot water for 4 -5 hours to ensure they cook evenly
Cook the peas until they are soft and mashable. This helps thicken the ragda and creates a creamy ragda.
Some white peas may take longer to cook so pressure cook for additional minutes if required.
Ragda chaat should be a balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and savory flavors. So adjust the amount of tamarind chutney, green chutney, and spices like chaat masala, and cumin powder to achieve the perfect balance of flavors.
You can adjust the amount of spices according to your taste preferences. Add more chili powder or finely chopped green chilies if you like it spicier.
The ragda thickens as it cooks so adjust the consistency by adding water. The consistency should be neither too thick nor too runny.
Frequently Asked Questions
While ragda chaat is best enjoyed fresh, you can prepare the ragda and toppings ahead of time and assemble the chaat just before serving. Keep the ragda and toppings refrigerated in separate containers until ready to serve.
Matar Chaat is very similar to Ragda Chaat with a slight variation. While Ragda Chaat typically involves topping ingredients like onions, tomatoes, green chili, chutneys, and spices onto the yellow peas curry without mixing them, in Delhi-style Matar Chaat, these same ingredients are mixed with the cooked white peas. In North India, matar chaat is typically served with kulcha for a delicious meal.
More Indian Chaat Recipes
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Recipe Card
Ragda Chaat (Matar Chaat)
Equipment
Ingredients
For Ragda:
- 1 cup dried white peas matar/vatana
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida hing
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½-1 teaspoon red chilli powder /paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder optional, I skipped it
- ½ teaspoon garam masala optional, I skipped it
For the chaat:
- 8 tablespoon tamarind chutney
- 4 tablespoon mint cilantro chutney
- 1 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 cup tomato finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon black salt kala namak
- 1 lemon
- 2 green chili diced, adjust to taste
- 4-5 dried mint leaves optional
- 1 inch ginger julienned
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped, to garnish
- Nylon sev or Aloo Bhujiya as required
- pomegranate, crushed puri, or papdi, boondi for garnish, optional
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Instructions
Preparing Ragda :
- Rinse the dried white peas in water and then soak them in 3 cups or enough water for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. Or soak in hot water for 4-5 hours. They will double in size. Drain the soaked peas and rinse them again. Set aside.
- Start your Instant Pot on saute mode (normal), once it displays hot add the oil and cumin seeds.
- Once the seeds splutter add the asafoetida (hing), turmeric, and red chili powder. Give it a quick mix (ensure the spices dont burn) and add the white peas along with salt and 3 cups of water. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, set the vent in a sealing position, and cook on cook on "Manual", "pressure cook", or "bean chili" mode for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and make sure the ragda is well cooked. The peas should be soft and mushy.
- You can start the pot back on saute to thicken the gravy. Mash some of the peas with the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Ragda is ready to be used in ragda chaat or served as a side dish.
Assembling Ragda Chaat :
- In a serving bowl, add one cup of the cooked ragda.
- Top it with 2 tablespoons of tamarind chutney, 1 tablespoon of green chutney, 2 tablespoons of onions, and 2 tablespoons of tomatoes.
- To flavor the chaat, sprinkle chaat masala, black salt, roasted cumin powder, and red chili powder (to taste or skip).
- Squeeze lemon juice and garnish with cilantro, sev, a few crushed puri or papdi for crunch, and green chili (adjust to taste).
- You can further garnish the chaat with dried mint (crushed), masala boondi, pomegranate pearls, whisked yogurt (dahi), and ginger (you can skip if you dont like raw ginger). Enjoy!
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