Paan Chaat (Betel Leaves Chaat)

Paan Chaat is a delicious appetizer made using fried betel leaves topped with yogurt, chutneys and crisp toppings.

This is a unique chaat that is actually pretty easy to put together and tastes amazing too.

Chaats make such a great treat for any day. Full of flavors, colors and textures; these are quite easy to put together and loved by everyone.

From Bhel Puri and Dahi Batata Puri to Ragda and Smashed Potatoes; we love making at least one chaat each week.

All chaats are generally made of three elements; a base like murmura, makhana, puri etc, chutneys like sweet, spicy and tangy and finally toppings, chopped vegetables, sev, boondi, cilantro and chaat masala.

These chaats are easy to make by swapping one or more of the ingredients to get a whole new dish.

With all the traditional chaats still being popular; there are numerous new kinds of chaats taking centre stage. Makhana Bhel, Paan Chaat, Quinoa Bhel and Dhokla chaat to name a few.

Jump to:

• What is Paan Chaat
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• More Delicious Chaat Recipes
• More Recipes using Betel Leaves
• Paan Chaat (Betel Leaves Chaat)

What is Paan Chaat

As the name suggests; we make a sweet, salty and tangy chaat using paan leaves. Betel leaves are popular in India and commonly referred to as paan.

With that as the base, I like to make a flavorful mix of textures for a snack. To make this, we deep fry betel leaves coated in seasoned chickpea flour and top them with the commonly used chaat ingredients.

Though it may sound daunting, the dish is actually easy to put together. And the fried betel leaves taste wonderful with all the chutneys, yogurt and crunchy toppings.

I have made this numerous times lately in the name of recipe tasting; and trust me it has been gobbled in minutes.

Why this recipe works

• It is a delicious chaat recipe.
• We can put the recipe together super quickly.
• The recipe is super versatile with respect to the toppings and add-ins.
• We can make almost all the elements ahead of time.
• It is a unique combination that is full of flavors.
• We use the popular betel leaf and convert it to an amazing appetizer.
• In spite of all the ingredients on top, the betel leaves still retain their freshness and flavor in the recipe.
• We can easily make changes to the recipe to make it kid-friendly.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Betel Leaves: The base for the recipe is fried betel leaves. Coat these in chickpea batter and fry them to use. Fresh betel leaves will work, none other. And if this is unavailable, use spinach, kale, fenugreek or other greens.
• Chickpea Flour: We need chickpea flour to make the batter for coating the betel leaves. Some recipes call for adding a pinch of rice flour to crisp up well, but it is optional.
• Spices: I like to add minimal spices to the chickpea flour batter to season it. I add red chili powder, turmeric, dhania jeera, salt and chaat masala. Adding some chopped cilantro, jeera powder etc. works as well.
• Yogurt: Like most chaat recipes, I add seasoned yogurt to the chaat. Whipped yogurt with some salt, sugar and chaat masala works well for the recipe.
• Chutneys: Similar to all chaat recipes, we need the three chaat chutneys here as well.  Sweet dates tamarind chutney, spicy cilantro chutney and spicy garlic chutney are perfect for the recipe. Both store bought and homemade are equally amazing in the recipe.
• Toppings: I like to add some crunch to the recipe with toppings. Chopped onions, pomegranate arils and sev are perfect. Plus; adding some chopped cilantro, boondi or chivda are great to add too.
• Apart from these, we need water to make the batter and oil to fry the paan.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In a large bowl add chickpea flour and the spices.

2- Then slowly add water and start whisking.

3- Mix everything well till you get a smooth batter.

4- Heat oil on medium high in a kadhai; and dip a betel leaf in the batter.

5- Coat it evenly on both sides with the batter.

6- Remove from the batter and dip in hot oil.

7- Fry till crisp; turning it once in between. Remove on a kitchen towel to drain. Repeat for all the leaves and set them all aside.

8- Also, add sugar, salt and chaat masala to yogurt. Mix well and set aside.

9- Plus, prepare the chutneys and keep them ready.

10- When ready to serve, place the leaves in a plate.

11- Then top with seasoned yogurt, sweet dates tamarind chutney, spicy cilantro chutney and spicy garlic chutney.

12- Then top with chopped onions, pomegranate arils and sev. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips and Notes

• The batter for coating the paan has to be thick and not super thick. Make it similar to pancake batter in consistency. If it is too runny, add some chickpea flour. If it is still thick, add some water to thin it out.
• Fresh paan leaves will work best here. As we consume the entire paan, it is best to pick fresh leaves. If you bring it the day before, simply wrap in wet towel and refrigerate till ready to use.
• Heat oil till hot and reduce flame to medium high. Then fry the paan leaves. Frying them in cold oil makes them limp and full of oil and high flame will burn the leaves instantly and turn them brown.
• The chutneys can be made ahead of time and so can the seasoned yogurt. Simply refrigerate till ready to serve.
• The fried paan leaves can be served warm or cold. They taste wonderful either way.
• Prepare the elements ahead of time if you like; but assemble the chaat just before serving. That way the chaat is crunchy, fresh and perfect.

Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Chaat Recipes