Peanut Chaat Snack Mix

For Indians (at least, the ones I’m related to), chaat is both a snacking genre and a way of life. Chaat is the term for snacks in India, from street food to a little something to nibble on with a cocktail. This spiced peanut mix falls into the latter category, but it originated as a crunchy, flavor-packed topping to pour over dal, or mix into rice. You can (and should!) absolutely use it as a component of dal or rice, and I love this mix tossed with roasted corn in the summer. That said, I’m always happy to eat it straight out of hand, which is what happens every time I make it anyway.

Makes 2 cups

2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 cup coconut flakes

30 curry leaves, torn into pieces

2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

Grated zest of 1 lime

2 cups roasted salted peanuts

Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the coconut flakes and cook for 1 minute. 

Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin and lime zest and stir to combine (the curry leaves and mustard seeds will splatter when added to the pan; have a lid or splatter screen handy so you can cover the pan). Add the peanuts and toss with the other ingredients to mix everything evenly. Cook 1 more minute, then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Store in a sealed container at room temperature up to 1 week.