(Updated on March 12, 2023)

Matar Chaat is one of the most famous street food items in North India. It is a simple vegetarian snack that can be prepared in a quick flash and features an assortment of incredible flavours and textures.

This lip-smacking Green Matar Chaat recipe has a semi gravy-like texture and is made using boiled green peas tossed with our usual aromatics and spices and served fresh with garnish. It is a perfect blend of spicy and savoury with a hint of sweetness and tanginess.

With green peas as the star ingredient, this Matar Chaat recipe is a powerhouse of nutrition and offers a melt-in-your-mouth experience. You can enjoy this hearty Matar Chaat as an evening snack or a side dish with your meal. And with Zilli’s Cold Pressed Spices, you can save lots of precious time on preparations. 

Here are the steps to make the perfect Delhi-Style Matar Chaat at home with minimal effort.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes.

Serves: 2 people.

Course: Snack / Side Dish.

Cuisine: North Indian.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of soaked and boiled green peas.
• 1 tsp Zilli's Red Onion Powder.
• ½ tsp Zilli's Ginger Powder.
• 1 tsp Zilli's Tomato Powder.
• 2-3 small green chillies.
• 750 ml or 3 cups of boiled green peas water.
• 3 tsp mustard oil.
• 1 inch of cinnamon.
• 2 bay leaves.
• 1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds).
• Salt to taste.
• ½ tsp turmeric powder.
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder.
• 1 tsp amchur (dry mango) powder.

• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp chopped spring onion
• 1 chopped green chilli.

How to Make Matar Chaat:

Prep Work: 

Soak 1 cup of green peas for 5-6 hours or overnight. Boil them until properly cooked. Strain the boiled green peas and reserve the water. Set aside.

Steps for the Matar Chaat:

1. In a bowl, add Onion Powder, Ginger Powder, and Tomato Powder. 
2. Pour 250 ml or 1 cup of the reserved green peas water.
3. Whisk it well till there are no lumps left. Keep this paste aside.
4. Heat mustard oil in a kadhai or wok.
5. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and fennel seeds (saunf). Sauté well on medium flame till the fennel seeds turn light brown in colour.
6. Add your prepared paste to the kadhai and mix it continuously till it comes to a boil.
7. Add salt, green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and amchur powder. Give a good stir and cook until the raw smell of the spices goes away.
8. At this stage, toss in your boiled green peas and mix thoroughly to combine.
9. Add another cup of the reserved green peas water. Let it cook for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium-to-low flame while stirring occasionally. 
10.  Turn off the heat and transfer the chaat into serving bowls.
11.  Garnish with coriander leaves, spring onions, and green chilli. 

Your Delhi Matar Chaat is ready to be enjoyed. Serve hot!

Tips and Variations for Matar Chaat Recipe: 

If you forget to soak the green peas overnight, soak them in hot water for an hour.

Avoid overcooking the peas. Otherwise, the dish will become very mushy.

You can use Zilli’s Tamarind Powder as a substitute for amchur powder.

Variations for Matar Chaat Recipe:

• White Peas Chaat: Use white peas instead of green peas to make safed matar ki chaat.
• Aloo Matar Chaat: Add 2-3 boiled potatoes to this recipe and transform it into a delicious Aloo Matar Chaat Recipe:
• Dahi Matar Chaat: Top your chaat with whisked dahi or yoghurt and chaat masala to make it a Dahi Matar Chaat.
• Ragda Chaat: You can turn this into a Ragda Chaat by garnishing it with cooked peas with chopped onion, tomatoes, and seasonings.
• Aloo Tikki Chaat: Serve your Matar Chaat on top of a crispy Aloo Tikki to make this an Aloo Tikki / Ragda Chaat.
• Lucknow Matar Chaat Recipe: The Lucknow version is in a patty form. To make a classic Lucknow Matar Chaat, you need to mash your boiled peas, combine them with other ingredients, and shape them into patties. Shallow fry until crisp on the outside, and serve with yoghurt, chutneys, ginger, lime, and chaat masala. 

Serving Ideas: 

Serve this Matar Chaat as a snack or a side dish.

You can garnish it with a generous amount of sev or bhujia.

Alternatively, sprinkle some chaat masala before serving and drizzle your chaat with coriander chutney and khatti meethi chutney.

This Green Matar Chaat recipe also pairs perfectly with a Kulcha or Puri and with a glass of chilled lassi on the side.