These loaded desi nachos are a perfect blend of Indian and Mexican cultures. You are going to fall in love with this recipe because every bite takes you back to the streets of India, enjoying chaat recipes. It reminds me most of papdi chaat, but make it fancy! This recipe is layered with delicious corn tortilla chips, cheese, potatoes, chickpeas and bold spices, which I think makes it super delicious. We then bake it until the cheese melts and top it with imli chutney and cilantro & mint chutney. I like to add a few slices of jalepenos to give it a spicy kick! I promise , every single bite of this recipe is heavenly and so good for entertaining or snacking with your friends.
What is Chaat?
Chaat is an Indian street food cuisine, which translate the verb “to lick “. Chaat has bold elements from sour, sweet and spicy chutneys, to bold spices, with a graciously simple filling of potatoes and chickpeas! There are so many different kinds of chaat recipes made throughout India, but, the elements remain the same. These chaat recipes, truly are finger-licking good, and you just can’t and won’t stop eating them, once you have tried them! Try my aam panna pani puri and puff pastry samosa chaat recipes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe!
I am writing the entire recipe step by step to make it easier for you to make it at home. It may feel a little bit overwhelming, to see the list of elements added to this recipe. But trust me, it is easier to put this recipe together than you think. This Indian Cheesy Nachos Recipe is
Made with gluten-free corn tortilla chips, which is similar to that of classic nachos recipe. You can prepare the elements of this Loaded desi nachos recipe in advance. Assemble right before you are ready to entertain your friends and family. Indian nachos are always a hit for any festive get-together, casual family and friends gathering game days, and Cinco de Mayo. I love this recipe and believe me or not, but I did finish half of that tray for lunch in one sitting.
Ingredients to Make Indian Nachos
Corn Tortilla Chips - Use good quality corn tortilla chips to make this recipe. I like to specifically use the yellow corn chips, for the color, and how it resembles to classic nachos. Mexican 4 Cheese Blend - This a perfect cheese blend to use for this recipe, as it adds the creaminess and cheese pull of mozzarella, and sharpness of cheddar cheese. Potatoes - I boil the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces to add to this recipe. Chickpeas - I prefer to use canned chickpeas, since soaking and boiling the chickpeas, seems like an additional task. Other Add-Ons - We will be adding finely diced, onions, tomatoes, and jalepenos to this recipe to add to the texture and flavors of chaat. Spices - Bold spices are used to make chaat. This Indian Nachos recipe is chatpata, finger licking delicious and chatpata. We will be using, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, Salt and Chaat Masala. Cilantro and Mint Chutney - Cilantro and mint chutney adds a spicy kick to the recipe, which is a quintessential element of chaat recipes. Find the full recipe here. Imli Chutney - Imli chutney aka is tamarind chutney, which has sweet and sour flavors, that make the recipe come together. Find the detailed recipe here. Garnishes - Garnish this beautiful Indian Nachos Chaat with finely chopped, small sev, and sliced jalapenos. You can also add pomegranate arils to garnish.
Step-by-Step Recipe to Make Loaded Desi Nachos
Make the Chutneys
I like to make the chutneys and always have a batch of them ready in the refrigerator. Both my mint & cilantro chutney, and sweet tamarind chutney stay fresh in the refrigerator for weeks.
To Make Mint & Cilantro Chutney,
In a high-powered blender, add cilantro, mint, green chilies, ginger, lime juice, sugar, cumin seeds, salt, sev, and water. Blitz until it has a smooth chutney consistency. Click here for a detailed recipe. This chutney stays fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks!
To Make Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Soak the seedless tamarind in hot water for 30 minutes. Now blitz until pureed. Strain the tamarind puree. In a heavy bottom pot, add oil, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and asafetida. Once the cumin seeds splutter, add the tamarind pulp To this add spices, like Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, Ginger Powder, Dry Mango Powder, Black Salt, and Salt. Add jaggery sugar, and water. Mix it well. Simmer the chutney on a low flame until thickens to the desired consistency. Click here to get the detailed recipe. This chutney stays well in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and freezes well too.
Assemble the Nachos
You can prepare the following a day in advance if you wish too.
Boil the potatoes, peel the skin, and dice them into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop onions, tomatoes and jalapenos. Finely chop cilantro Wash, and drain canned chickpeas, Mix, salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, and chaat masala, and keep it aside.
Preheat the oven at 350F. In a sheet pan, layer the corn tortilla chips. You can use any corn tortilla chips you like. To this, add a generous layer of shredded four-cheese Mexican blend. Add a layer of boiled potatoes, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos along with the prepared spice mix of Kashmir red chili powder, salt, and chaat masala. You can also add pomegranate arils at this point if you wish too. Now add another generous layer of four-cheese Mexican blend. Bake it at 350F for 10 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro, drizzle the chutneys generously and add very thin chaat sev.
Variations for this Recipe
You can use yams/ sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes in this recipe. Build quarter or half sheet pans of nachos at a time, if you are waiting for guests, or they have specific preferences. Alternatively, you can also use a microwave-safe plate, layer the chips, toppings, and cheese, and melt the cheese in the microwave. If you don’t have chickpeas, add black beans, they work well as well. You can also add some fire-roasted corn to the recipe, and it will taste just as delicious. I also like to drizzle whisked yogurt on the sheet pan, if you want to make it taste like dahi papdi chaat. Buy the chutneys, from a South Asian store, if you don’t have time or ingredients to make them at home.
Serving Suggestions for Nachos Chaat
Serve warm, while the cheesy is melty and gooey. You can make these in small sheet pans, to serve individual portions for your guests. You can serve this Indian Chaat Nachos as the appetizer, along with watermelon and strawberry agua fresca, or horchata. Make my delicious refried bean enchiladas for dinner, and finish with a Tres Leches cake for dessert.
More Recipes From the Blog
