Indian-ish Nachos With Cheddar, Black Beans and Chutney

By Priya Krishna and Ritu Krishna

Indian-ish Nachos With Cheddar, Black Beans and Chutney
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(3,330)
Comments
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These vegetarian nachos take their cues from paapdi or papri chaat, the spicy, tangy and sweet Indian snack of fried dough wafers piled with chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, yogurt and various chutneys. This take starts with standard nacho elements: tortilla chips, black beans and a healthy amount of bubbly, melted cheese. But the classic chaat pairing of spicy and verdant cilantro chutney with sweet and sour tamarind sauce provides another level of brightness and complexity. Don’t skip the chhonk, a sauce made of melted ghee, cumin seeds and red chile powder that is drizzled over the top of the nachos. It provides a rich finish and even more crunch.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Cilantro Chutney

    • 1large bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
    • 1small Indian green chile or serrano chile, stem removed and roughly chopped
    • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime), plus more as needed
    • ¼teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

    For the Nachos

    • 1(15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
    • Kosher salt
    • 1(8-ounce) bag white corn tortilla chips, preferably unsalted
    • 1medium red onion, finely chopped
    • 2medium Roma tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
    • 4cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)
    • ¼cup store-bought tamarind sauce (or ¼ cup date syrup or maple syrup whisked with 1 tablespoon lime juice)

    For the Chhonk

    • ¼cup ghee or olive oil
    • 2tablespoons cumin seeds
    • Pinch of red chile powder, such as ground cayenne
    • Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

529 calories; 33 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 554 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the chutney: In a blender, combine the cilantro, green chile, lime juice, sugar and salt and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add up to 3 tablespoons water, a tablespoon at a time, to get it going. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice, if needed. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, lightly mash the beans with a fork (this is so they won’t roll off the chips), and season them with salt. On a foil-lined 13-by-18-inch sheet pan, arrange half the chips, followed by half the beans, onions, tomatoes and cheese (in that order). Repeat to make a second layer. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes on the highest rack of the oven, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

  3. Step 3

    While the nachos are in the oven, make the chhonk: In a small pan or a butter warmer over medium-high, heat the ghee. Once the ghee melts (or the oil begins to shimmer), add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to sputter and brown, about 15 seconds. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the red chile powder. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Evenly drizzle the cilantro chutney and the tamarind sauce on top of the nachos, followed by the chhonk. Add a few dollops of the Greek yogurt, if using.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,330 user ratings
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Comments

Deb

For tamarind sauce: Heat ½ - 1 tsp ground cumin in the bottom of a dry pan until fragrant, about 30 seconds, Add ¼ cup each tamarind paste, date syrup/maple syrup, juice of ½ lime and a pinch of salt. Simmer over low heat until heated though.

M Shah

How do you make tamarind sauce from tamarind paste? Is it as simple as soaking some of the paste in hot water and blending?

SH in SC

I LOVED this! The cilantro chutney would be great for all kinds of other recipes. My changes: beans are not my friend, so I cooked skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a crock pot with a masala simmer sauce from Trader Joe’s until it easy easily shredded. I had no time to go get tamarind sauce, so made a combo of the maple syrup & some sweet chutney. No cumin seeds, so I used ground cumin in ghee. I look forward to making it with tamarind sauce, but this is definitely a keeper. So much flavor!

Matt

I’ve made this multiple times. My preferred ratios are to use 1.5-2x the beans and cut back the cheese to no more than 12 ounces.

Laura C.

I was inspired by this recipe and one of the comments about subbing tikka masala sauce cooked shredded chicken for black beans. I wondered what else Trader Joe’s would have on hand to save me some time, food waste and be lower in sodium. Trader Joe’s® shopping list: b/s chicken thighs, unsalted organic tortilla chips, Zhoug Sauce*, limes and shredded Swiss Cheese & Gruyère Cheese (so much less sodium than cheddar). I also bought fresh made Pico de gallo at my local grocery. Yum!

Paul

These are the best nachos I’ve ever had and will forever be disappointed with traditional nachos! Best part of watching the Super Bowl today. Went to an Indian market and found tamarind date sauce and pre-made pani puri. I made half of the pan with tortilla chips and the other half with pani puri. Both were fantastic but an extra special touch with the pani puri.

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