Chaat is India's favorite street snack. The word roughly means "to lick," as in licking your fingers. It's sweet, sour, spicy, crunchy and cool all at once. Here's your guide to the chaat on our menu, starting with the one that confuses people most.

Pani puri: the one-bite wonder

Pani puri (also called golgappa or puchka) is a set of small, hollow, crispy puris. You fill each one with a little potato and chickpea, then with pani, a cold, tangy water flavored with mint, tamarind and spices. Then you eat it in one bite.

How to do it:

  1. Gently tap a small hole in the top of the puri with your thumb.
  2. Add a little of the filling.
  3. Spoon or dip in the pani until it's almost full.
  4. Eat it immediately, all in one bite. Don't try to take two bites. Trust us.

Tip: work fast. The puri starts to soften as soon as the pani goes in, and the crunch is the whole point.

Dahi puri

The same crispy puris, filled with potato and topped with cool yogurt (dahi), sweet tamarind chutney, green chutney and crunchy sev. Less splashy than pani puri and great if you like creamy, sweet-and-tangy flavors.

Sev puri and bhel puri

Sev puri uses flat, crisp puris piled with potato, onion, chutneys and a heap of sev (thin, crunchy chickpea-flour noodles). Bhel puri is a tossed mix of puffed rice, sev, potato, onion and chutneys. It's light, crunchy and best eaten right away.

Samosa chaat and chaat papdi

Want chaat as a meal? Samosa chaat is a crushed samosa topped with chickpeas, yogurt and chutneys. Chaat papdi layers crisp wafers with potato, chickpeas, yogurt and chutneys. Both are hearty and full of flavor.

Mumbai sliders: vada pav and samosa pav

Not technically chaat, but straight from the same street stalls. Vada pav is a spiced potato fritter in a soft bun with chutneys, Mumbai's favorite fast food. Samosa pav swaps in a samosa.

Chaat in Langley Park

You'll find all of these at Ananda Kitchen inside BITES Food Court + Bar, 8046 New Hampshire Ave. Most also come in a Swaminarayan-friendly version, and we make big chaat trays for parties. See the full chaat menu.