Fruit chaat with seeds

When the 4 pm sweet craving hits, this is the bowl to reach for. Chopped seasonal fruit, a sprinkle of roasted seeds, chaat masala and a squeeze of lemon. It tastes like the fruit chaat from your favourite thela, and it comes together in 10 minutes with no cooking at all.

Why it helps

Whole fruit comes with fibre, so its natural sweetness reaches your blood slowly, very different from a biscuit or a sweet. The seeds add crunch, healthy fats and a little protein, which makes the bowl more filling. If cravings run your evenings, this guide to PCOS cravings explains why, and what else helps.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 cups mixed seasonal fruit, chopped (apple, papaya, guava, pear, orange, whatever is fresh)
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional but lovely)
• 2 tablespoons mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, til)
• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
• A pinch of roasted jeera powder
• A pinch of black salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• A few mint leaves, torn

Method

1. Dry roast the seeds on a tawa for 2 to 3 minutes until they smell nutty. Let them cool. You can roast a whole week's batch at once and store it in a jar.
2. Chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces and put them in a big bowl.
3. Add the pomegranate, chaat masala, jeera powder and black salt.
4. Squeeze the lemon over everything and toss gently.
5. Top with the roasted seeds and mint just before eating so they stay crunchy.
6. Serve fresh. Cut fruit loses its charm if it sits too long.

Make it your own

• Add a katori of curd on the side, or mix it in, for a creamier, more filling bowl.
• Skip the curd and it stays fully plant-based, perfect for vrat-friendly evenings with sendha namak.
• In winter, use guava, orange and pomegranate with extra black salt, just like the roadside version.

Enjoy it as part of the CurviCare Plate, and see what sugar, jaggery and honey really do in this sweetener guide.