Okay y'all, I've been so excited to share this Phyllo Chaat Cups recipe. "Chaat" is basically the most delicious Indian street food. It's also the most delicious off the street stands IN India...but we make do with living around different parts of the world. My FAVORITE Indian "chaat" is Pani Puri: thin and crispy fried dough puffs filled with spiced potatoes, chutneys, beans, and masala water. These cups remind me of Pani Puri (minus the water) but just filled in these cute little phyllo shells.
The phyllo shells I use can be bought at almost any grocery store in the frozen aisle. You can use the sheets as well, but I like quick, easy, and ready-to-go. Although a little pricier than using actual puris, using phyllo shells is a great alternative since they are made of wheat flour and not deep-fried. And plus, it's a lot of work to make the actual puris! So I'm going to leave it to the Indian moms or the amazing street stands of India to make them fresh for us! In the meantime, we will use these phyllo shells filled with a flavorful chana aloo chaat.
Pani Puri Masala or Chaat Masala?
For the shells, all you need to do is bake them for about 5 minutes to get them crispy. Then, dice the potatoes and cook them until soft, add the chickpeas (no salt added), and spice it up with some Pani Puri Masala and seasonings. The ready-made Pani Puri masala can be bought at any Indian food store. I recently saw that Walmart sells it online as well! If you can't find Pani Puri masala, you can use chaat masala in these as well.
Chickpeas are a great source of:
- Protein
- Fiber
- Iron
- Folate
Why the "no salt added" beans?
Sodium is an essential mineral for your body but too much can be a problem. Why should you worry about salt? Because it can lead to hypertension which can then cause:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Kidney disease
- Poor bone health
Making fresh chickpeas is obviously the best method. However, most of us like the convenience factor of canned foods. Since canned beans have a high sodium content, it's best to read the label on your canned foods and look for the sodium. If using canned beans, "no salt added" is the best option, and "reduced sodium" is the second best option. Don't forget to always drain and rinse your beans out of the can!
I like to top my phyllo chaat cups with some of my 5-Minute Cilantro Chutney, my 5-Minute Sweet Tamarind Chutney, and some onions. You can also flavor some yogurt, add some crunchy seeds, or other chopped veggies.
Appetizers with phyllo shells are the perfect bite-sized servings. I pre-filled these when I was testing them out and had Rajan try them a few hours later...they stayed crispy! I'm definitely going to be re-making these as part of our Thanksgiving appetizers. I hope you enjoy these adorable, bite-sized Phyllo Chaat Cups! Comment below on how you liked them and share the love with your family and friends!
📖 Recipe
Phyllo Chaat Cups
Ingredients
- 30 phyllo shells
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 potato,, diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 can chickpeas,, no salt added
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 ½ tablespoon pani puri masala, *see recipe notes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F
- Place phyllo shells in an oven safe tray and bake to make them crispy for about 5 minutes or according to the packaging.
- Heat oil in a small pan and add potato. Add salt then cover with a lid and cook the potato for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Stir occasionally. If potatoes start to stick at the bottom of the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water.
- Once potatoes begin to soften, add chickpeas, cumin powder, and pani puri masala. Cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure potatoes are cooked well but not too mushy.
- Let the mixture cool completely.
- Top the phyllo cups with cilantro chutney and some sweet tamarind chutney and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Info
Jitu
Mouth watering I like the added nutrition value of the ingredients
Thank you Shweta
Dg
Great recipe.