Cha Cha Chana

You can't really understand Indian street food until you experience it. I would liken it somewhat to your first slice of $1 jumbo New York pizza in the middle of Times Square...

And if you're traveling India the right way, you really can't avoid street food because not only does it travel in street carts but also on top of people's heads.
I remember during the summer of my freshman year of college, I traveled to India for a research project. Without my overprotective parents around, I was free to roam around in autos, erra buses (also known as non-AC city buses in Hyderabad), and my own two feet. I met amazing people, occasionally was scared for my life, but most of all had the best street food ever: from street-side chai and mysore bondas on my way home to fresh coconut juice that I could buy straight from my bus window.

Today I've decided to take on a healthier version of a street-food favorite: Chana jor garam.

Chana jor garam is a popular Indian street food that's usually made with packaged, flattened, fried black lentils. I am deathly afraid of the savory snacks aisle of the Indian store, so I try to avoid it if I can. My version is made with roast whole garbanzos and very low fat. So, put those kale chips away because healthy snacking can also taste good once again!

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(Serves 2-3) ; Prep time: 20 mins

What you need:

1. Garbanzo beans - 1 can
2. Red onion - 1 small, finely diced
3. Tomato - 1, de-seeded and diced
4. Lime - 1, zested and also cut into slices
5. Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped
6. Green chilli - 1, diced
7. Chaat masala - 1/2 tbsp
8. Spanish paprika - 1 tbsp
9. Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp
10. Garlic powder - 1/2 tbsp
11. Turmeric - 1/2 tbsp
12. Sea salt/Pepper
13. Olive oil - 1/2 tbsp

What you do:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Drizzle some olive oil to cover the bottom.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F with the oiled baking sheet.
3. While the oven is preheating, drain and rinse the can of garbanzo beans.
4. Pour them in a bowl and add the zest of 1 lime along with all the spices (ingredients #6-11).
5. Spread the garbanzo beans on the preheated baking sheet (They will sizzle a little because the oil will have warmed up).
6. Add some fresh sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for ~20 mins, making sure to move them around a bit in between.
7. In the meantime, chop up ingredients #2-6.
8. Once the chana are done, let them cool for a couple of mins.

Toss the roasted chana with the chopped veggies, add a dash of lime juice, and some chaat masala. Done! Happy snackings.