Easy Japanese Knotweed Fruit Chaat

Chaat is a popular street food in South Asia, originating in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which generally combines crunchy, creamy, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors and textures. There are many (many!) types of chaat out there, but one in particular caught my attention last spring–a refreshing fruit chaat. Fruit chaats are generally made with a mix of in-season fruits, as well as herbs, chickpeas, fruit juice, and chaat masala, the ubiquitous spice blend that ties all of the different chaat varieties together.

Chaat masala, which can be found in any South Asian grocery store, or online, is a spice blend that can change from household to household, but typically includes amchur (sour dried mango powder), black salt (a pungent and funky flavor with sulphurous notes – don’t worry, it’s quite enjoyable), cumin, and coriander, among other spices. There is nothing else quite like it, so don’t go replacing it with garam masala and calling it a day.

What got my attention was this particular chaat’s ability to harmoniously combine sweet, sour, and savory flavors at once–just like the tasty Japanese knotweed, a pernicious introduced ornamental species that has escaped yards and taken over many wild riparian areas. One benefit of this stuff is that it’s springtime shoots are not only edible, but quite delicious. Read all about the plant and how to harvest it here: Japanese Knotweed.

The knotweed shoots worked fantastically in this chaat, adding a distinctive hard-to-pin-down flavor and juicy crunch. If you can’t find knotweed where you live, or missed the short window for harvesting, feel free to replace it with rhubarb, for a similar, but much tarter experience.

Serve this chaat for breakfast or lunch, or even for a refreshing snack on one of those blissful warm spring days when the sun is shining!