Chana chaat (spiced chickpea salad)
35 min · 18 g protein · 304 cals / serving
India's favourite chickpea salad: chickpeas and a little boiled potato tossed with crunchy cucumber, tomato, red onion, green chili, mint and cilantro in a sharp lemon and toasted-cumin dressing. Cool yogurt and a drizzle of sweet-sour tamarind chutney go over the top, and pomegranate seeds pop in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 small gold potato, boiled, cooled and diced
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 large cucumbers, diced
- 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
Dressing
- 1 tsp ground cumin, toasted in a dry pan
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp salt, black salt (kala namak) if you have it
To serve
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, whisked with 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp tamarind chutney
- 1/2 cup seeds pomegranate
Steps
- Boil the whole potato in salted water for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides in, then cool it under cold water, peel if you like, and dice.
- Put the chickpeas, potato, cucumber, tomato, red onion, chili, cilantro and mint in a large bowl.
- Just before serving, sprinkle over the toasted cumin, chili powder, lemon juice and salt and toss well. Taste: it should be tangy and well seasoned.
- Spoon into bowls, then drizzle with the thinned yogurt and the tamarind chutney and scatter the pomegranate seeds over the top.
Good to know
Do I need chaat masala?
It is the classic seasoning, a tangy mix with dried mango and black salt. Use 2 teaspoons of it in place of the cumin and chili powder if you have it.
Can I make it ahead?
Chop everything and keep it cold, but add the salt, lemon and spices only when you serve, or the cucumber and tomato go watery.
Vegan?
Use a plain soy or coconut yogurt, or leave the yogurt off and add an extra squeeze of lemon, at about the same score.
Per
- Calories
- 66
- Protein
- (25%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (15%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (60%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 159 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1216 kcal goes into the pot and 1841 g of ingredients comes out as about 1840 g of food: 66 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.