Recipe: Seasonal Fruit Chaat

Fruit chaat, a spiced fruit salad, is a ubiquitous iftar fruit dish, present on pretty much every South Asian iftar table. You could argue that there really is no recipe for chaat and if there was, the variations would number in the hundreds if not thousands, as it changes with the seasons and according to each family’s taste. Traditionally, in India and Pakistan, fruit chaat, a type of spiced fruit salad, is made with apples, oranges, bananas, and guava, if they are in season. But the vital part of what makes chaat is the chaat masala.

Chaat masala is a spice mix that usually contains a blend of amchoor (or green mango powder), cumin, coriander, and ginger. It also contains black salt, a pungent and strong salt that adds the characteristic taste of the fruit chaat. At its most basic, a fruit chaat should at least contain a sprinkle of black salt and a good amount of pepper.

Chaat masala is an acquired taste, so I would try it first on a piece of fruit before sprinkling it liberally over your fruit salad! Even if you like it, it is pretty strong, so start with a teaspoon and add sparingly from there. It does add a great depth of spicy flavor to the sweet fruit; I especially I like it on bananas and oranges.

Since Ramadan follows a lunar calendar, it falls on different months every year, and usually it moves up two weeks year to year. Lately, Ramadan has been falling in late summer. Since the best fruit chaat is very much a seasonal one, what I make every Ramadan changes. When my children were little, Ramadan fell in the winter months and so my fruit chaat consisted of lots of citrus, apples, and bananas. This year berries, Colorado cherries, and apricots are the on menu.

One of my favorite ways to eat the fruit chaat is with a side of spicy, tangy chickpeas. I like to prepare the chickpeas with a temper of red chilies and curry leaves, followed by a quick simmer with some sweet and sour tamarind sauce. The combination of the sweet and spicy fruit along with the tangy, sweet chickpeas may sound unconventional, but many Indians, Pakistanis, and even my American husband like to eat these two dishes together. This is the other reason why, traditionally, the fruit is cut up so small; it’s easier to scoop along with the chickpeas.

If you’re looking for something to jazz up a fruit salad, give this sweet and spicy fruit chaat a try.

• Food styling by Ayda Robana