Before You Start
Among chaats, corn chaat is one of the simplest: kernels from boiled corn, or cut from a grilled cob, are stirred with a few fresh vegetables, lime juice and chaat masala. It needs no frying and no chutney-making, nor any of the harder techniques other chaats rely on, which makes it a handy first lesson in how chaat masala and lime alone can turn a plain ingredient into something that reads as chaat. Carts often sell it from large pressure cookers of boiled corn, sometimes next to the butter-and-spice-brushed grilled cobs (bhutta) offered at the same stalls.
With so little technique involved, the corn itself matters here more than in almost any other recipe in this library. Sweet corn that is truly fresh and in season needs hardly any help, while corn that has been stored a while benefits from a heavier hand with lime and chaat masala to make up for its blander, starchier taste.
Where It Comes From
Corn chaat has none of the contested, centuries-old origin stories that attach to pani puri or bhel puri. It is a newer, practical street snack that appeared as roadside chaat carts multiplied in Indian cities during the twentieth century, applying the familiar chaat masala and lime treatment to a cheap, easily found and filling ingredient. It is sold throughout the country with little regional specificity compared to dishes tied to one city, though the exact vegetables and garnishes vary from one vendor and one household to the next.
How to Make It
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Prep
Cook the corn
Whole cobs need 8 to 10 minutes in boiling water or a steamer, until a kernel gives easily when pressed; let them cool slightly and run a knife down the cob. Bagged frozen corn only needs 3 to 4 minutes in a pot of boiling water. If you want a smoky edge, set the cobs straight on a flame or a hot grill and turn them until some kernels blacken in patches, then slice them off.
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Prep
Gather the fresh vegetables
Put the corn in a bowl with the tomato, onion, cucumber if it is going in, the chilli and the coriander.
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Assemble
Season and toss
Add the lime juice, chaat masala, cumin, chilli powder if using, and salt. Toss gently until everything is coated, then taste and adjust. The chaat should taste bright and sharp from the lime, with the savoury-sour flavour of the chaat masala clearly present and not hiding in the background.
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Serve
Garnish and serve at once
Spoon into bowls or cups and add a sprinkle of sev for crunch if you like. Serve straight away, because salt and lime keep drawing liquid out of the vegetables the longer the chaat stands, and it turns watery.
Swaps That Work
Treat the cucumber and tomato as flexible; you can drop either, and pomegranate seeds, cooked chickpeas or diced bell pepper make equally good extras. Without chaat masala, a mixture of roasted cumin powder, a pinch of black salt and a little amchur gives a fair approximation of its taste. A spoonful of finely chopped raw mango brings a sharper sourness and can replace some of the lime juice, which is a popular variation in North India during mango season.
Turning the Heat Up or Down
Two ingredients supply the heat, the fresh chilli and the optional chilli powder, and each can be changed without affecting the other. Drop the fresh chilli entirely and the chaat stays tangy and savoury with almost no burn. Chaat masala is more sour and salty than hot, so adding extra deepens the taste without making the bowl much spicier.
Where Cooks Go Wrong
The main error is dressing the chaat too long before it is eaten, as once it is salted and given lime, the vegetables release water quickly and a crisp, bright chaat becomes a watery one within 20 to 30 minutes. Under-seasoning is the second, because corn chaat needs a confident amount of chaat masala and lime to taste like more than boiled corn with vegetables stirred in. Overcooking the corn is the third, particularly frozen kernels, which can turn mushy after a couple of minutes of boiling, so cook them just until heated through and no longer raw in bite. If you grill the cobs for a smoky version, avoid charring them so hard that the kernels dry out, because a light, patchy char adds flavour without costing juiciness.
Keeping and Warming Up Leftovers
To keep: Corn and chopped vegetables can be prepared a day early if each goes into its own container in the refrigerator, but the mixing and seasoning should wait until just before the bowls go out. After it is dressed the chaat declines fast and is best finished inside 30 to 60 minutes. When feeding a crowd, serve the lime and spices on the side so each guest can toss a personal portion, which keeps the corn crisp and allows everyone to set their own level of tartness.
To warm up: Corn chaat is a cool dish and is not warmed. The only exception is corn cooked earlier and kept cold, which can be taken off the chill with a brief reheat before it joins the other ingredients; the completed chaat itself should be eaten cool.
Safe Handling
Wash all fresh produce well before chopping. If the corn was boiled ahead of time, cool it soon after cooking and refrigerate it, rather than leaving it out for long before use. Once assembled with lime juice and fresh vegetables, handle the chaat like any fresh salad: keep it refrigerated if it is not eaten right away, and discard it if it has stood at room temperature for more than about two hours.