Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Chaat)

Chickpea chaat salad in a white bowl topped with pomegranate, chopped onion, cilantro, mint, tomato, and sliced green chili.

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This Indian chickpea salad combines cooked chickpeas, onion, tomato, fresh herbs, and two chutneys. With chickpeas and chutneys ready, it takes just 10 minutes to make this chana chaat. Serve as a light lunch, a side with rice, or a wrap filling.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Servings

Author Sravanthi Chanda

Ingredients

1½ cups chickpeas cooked
¼ cup onion finely chopped
½ cup tomato chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
1 tablespoon mint leaves chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
1 tablespoon Indian green chutney green sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind chutney sweet tamarind dipping sauce
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
¼ teaspoon red chili powder optional, for extra heat
¼ teaspoon salt only if needed after tasting
1 tablespoon pomegranate arils for garnish

Instructions

Add the cooked chickpeas, finely chopped onion, tomato, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and chopped green chili to a mixing bowl.
1½ cups chickpeas, ¼ cup onion, ½ cup tomato, 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon mint leaves, 1 green chili
Add the Indian green sauce and tamarind chutney.
1 tablespoon Indian green chutney, 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney
Sprinkle the coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, and optional red chili powder over the chickpeas.
½ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Mix everything gently until the chickpeas and vegetables are evenly coated with the chutneys and spices.
Taste the salad first. Add the salt only if needed.
¼ teaspoon salt
Garnish with pomegranate and serve immediately.
1 tablespoon pomegranate arils

Notes

TESTED TIPS FROM MY KITCHEN

Quick tamarind chutney. Mix 1 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black salt, and ¼ teaspoon cumin powder with 1 tablespoon water. Add it as needed to the salad. Tamarind paste varies in sourness, so taste and adjust the sweetness and salt.
No green chutney? Add more chopped cilantro and mint. You can also use my avocado cilantro sauce for a creamy variation.
Using roasted chickpeas. Replace plain chickpeas with Indian spiced roasted chickpeas. They are already seasoned, so reduce or adjust the added spices and salt. Serve the salad right after mixing to keep some crunch.
Adjust the spice level. The green chili and green chutney already add heat. Add the red chili powder only if you want the salad spicier.
Meal prep shortcut. I make green chutney and tamarind chutney as part of my weekly vegetarian meal prep. Once the chutneys and cooked chickpeas are ready, I only need to chop the vegetables and mix the salad. This makes chana chaat especially useful on busy weekdays.

Nutrition