Fruit Chaat recipe

Fruit Chaat is a popular Indo-Pakistani dish that finds its presence in Iftar parties during the month of Ramadan. As it keeps me full for a longer time, I have to come to include it in my regular diet.

Last week, while scouting around on internet, about meal options suitable for gym goers I came across this recipe.

Oh wait a sec! Did I not tell you that finally I have succeeded in keeping up with my new year’s health resolution after umpteenth attempt? At the beginning of 2018, like previous years, I pledged  to include a 30-minute workout in my daily schedule. While the first week seemed like a breeze, as the excitement began to wane off, hitting the gym regularly became a laborious task. However, at the onset, I had decided that I would resist failure at all costs which prompted me to do things differently.

Instead of letting workout become a mundane chore, I opted for group activities instead of a regular gym workout. Few weeks later, I hired a personal trainer, and I guess that’s what made all the difference. Constant motivation, pep talks, cheering from my personal trainer has kept me going until now. Six months into this, I am pretty much settled and happy with my new schedule.  So, for those who are struggling with the fitness regime, don’t do it in isolation-it gets boring. Find a company for yourself, a gym buddy, or participate in group Activities like-Zumba, Bollywood dance etc. If you can invest a bit more, invest in a personal trainer who can understand your goals and design a customized workout for you.

From the limited knowledge that I have gained in past 6 months, I concur with the statement that “You are what you eat”. Exercise can only take you so far in you mission to be fit but diet coupled with exercise can help you achieve your goal. Diet does not imply starving but it means ‘eating right’. Consuming right food in a right portion at right times. My Gym trainer is a localite, a former body builder and a former wrestler (hailing from a family of wrestlers-pahelwan). He has always recommended me to eat local. Trust me I have no food ingredients in my diet chart that are exotic or that needs to be sourced from specialty stores. Every ingredient can easily be purchased from a local grocer. Why should staying fit be a costly affair?

According to my diet plan, I need to have any fruit juice or a small bowl of a cut fruits every morning between 11 to 11.30. I settled on having a fruit every day but soon got bored of it. As the month of Ramadan commenced, I was reading about the significance of the month and about the great feast associated with this month. It was during this reading exercise I came across this recipe of ‘Fruit Chaat’. Now, the word ‘Chaat’ has an interesting meaning to it. In Hindi, one of the prominent language of India, ‘Chaat’ comes from verb ‘Chaatna’ that refers to the act of licking. This verb is usually associated with a category of savory and fried food items available on food carts.  Food items like, Dahi Vada, Dahi Bhalla etc, seasoned with tangy, salty spices and sweet and spicy Chutneys. No matter how liberal your dietician is they would hardly oblige to your Chaat cravings. However, some smart chap figured out a way to remove all the fried ingredients from this dish and substitute it with fruits leaving the spices and Curd intact and thus must have born ‘Fruit Chaat’.

This following recipe is adapted from Maria Nasir’s book “Ramadan   Recipes – 7 days’ menu “where she has collated Sehri, Iftar and dinner recipes for Ramadan month. The best part of this recipe is that you can include fruits of your choice depending on seasonal availability. Mix these fruits with spiced and flavored curd mixture, cool in refrigerator and have it whenever you wish!

This chaat is so finger licking delicious that you would not skip this diet meal ever. Rightly said “Healthy food is not boring or tasteless always! Food can be healthy and delicious at the same time”

Click to watch recipe video