Smashed Cucumber Chaat with Toasted Cumin, Peanuts & Pomegranate

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A cold, crackling snack built the way street-cart chaat wallahs do it: cucumbers smashed instead of sliced so the ragged edges grab dressing, salted for ten minutes to draw out water, then tossed with a chaat masala you toast and grind yourself. Lime, black salt and a shower of fried peanuts, pomegranate and sev turn a bowl of cucumber into something you eat standing over the sink.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 whole dried red chile, stemmed (such as Kashmiri or árbol)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons amchur (dried mango powder)
• 1 teaspoon kala namak (Indian black salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 2 pounds Persian or English cucumbers (about 6 Persian)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus 1 lime for wedges
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil or mustard oil
• 1 teaspoon honey or jaggery, grated
• 1 small serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1/2 small red onion, cut in 1/4-inch dice

• 1/3 cup raw skinless peanuts
• 1 teaspoon neutral oil (for the peanuts)
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
• 1/2 cup sev (crisp chickpea noodles)

Instructions

1. Toast the spices: set a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns and dried chile and toast, shaking the pan constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cumin darkens a shade and smells nutty and smoky. Tip onto a plate immediately and cool for 5 minutes.
2. Grind the cooled spices to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Stir in the amchur, kala namak and ground ginger. You will have about 3 tablespoons of chaat masala; it keeps in a jar for 2 months.
3. Fry the peanuts: return the skillet to medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil. Add the peanuts and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and blistered. Scrape onto a paper towel, sprinkle with a pinch of the chaat masala, and cool. Chop half of them coarsely.
4. Smash the cucumbers: trim the ends and lay each cucumber on a cutting board. Press down firmly with the flat side of a chef's knife or the bottom of a heavy glass until the cucumber cracks lengthwise, then tear or cut it into rough 1-inch chunks — jagged pieces hold dressing better than clean slices.
5. Toss the cucumber chunks with the 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander set over a bowl. Let drain 10 to 15 minutes, tossing once, then shake well and blot dry with a towel. Discard the liquid (this is the step that keeps the chaat crisp instead of soupy).
6. Make the dressing in a large bowl: whisk the lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, honey, serrano and 2 teaspoons of the chaat masala until the honey dissolves. Stir in the diced red onion and let it sit 5 minutes to soften its bite.
7. Add the drained cucumbers to the bowl and toss with your hands until every piece is glossy. Taste and add lime, salt or another 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala as needed — it should be sharply sour and salty, just short of too much.
8. Pile the chaat into a wide shallow bowl or onto a platter. Scatter over the fried peanuts, pomegranate seeds, cilantro and mint, then finish with the sev and a final dusting of chaat masala. Serve within 10 minutes, with lime wedges, while the sev is still crackling.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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