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About this recipe
Kala chana chaat is a popular Indian street food similar to a chickpea salad and has a burst of flavors and textures. This tangy and spicy dish is made with boiled black chickpeas, veggies, and spices. It is healthy and protein-rich and is also great for a quick and filling lunch.
Black chickpea salad is very easy to make once you have boiled the chickpeas. Kala chana salad has bold and complex flavors with all the ingredients complimenting each other beautifully.
Chaat (or chat) is a wide variety of foods that are sold in roadside shops or carts and street vendors in India. These street foods are extremely popular, unique, and oh-so-delicious. 'Chaat' literally translates to 'lick' in Hindi. Every state and region of India has its own set of popular chaats that are all so unique and delicious.
Make this no-oil salad in 5 minutes and enjoy it as a healthy snack or filling lunch. Read on to known more about black chickpeas, ingredients, and instructions to make this plant-based salad, also popularly called kala chana chaat.
What is kala chana (and cooking tips)
Kala chana literally translates to black chickpeas. This name can be somewhat inaccurate as they are actually brown or reddish-brown in color. They are a variety of garbanzo beans that is native to the Indian subcontinent. Black chickpeas are also called whole Bengal gram or desi chana. They are smaller than white chickpeas and have tougher skin.
Black chickpeas are considered to have high fiber and are a good source of plant-based protein. They have a low glycemic index and help you stay full for longer. They are also considered a rich source of iron and are given to lactating mothers and young kids.
Cooking them in a pressure cooker is really easy. Follow these simple steps to get the perfect texture.
Soak:
The best way to cook them perfectly is to soak them first and then boil them in an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker. It must be soaked overnight or at least for 3-4 hours. Once they are soaked, drain all the water and rinse them thoroughly in fresh running water. This is an important step and cannot be skipped.
Add water and salt:
For soaked chana, you will need 1:2 water, i.e., for every cup of soaked kala chana, use 2 cups of water. For unsoaked chana, you will need 1:3 water, i.e., for every cup of soaked kala chana, use 3 cups of water. Use one teaspoon of salt for every cup of unsoaked chickpeas.
Pressure cook:
If you are using an Instant Pot, pressure cook soaked chana for 15 minutes and unsoaked chana for 45 minutes. Do a natural pressure release.
If you are using a stovetop cooker, place the cooker on a high flame and let the pressure build. Then, reduce it to medium flame and cook for 3 whistles. This should take 12-15 minutes. Release the pressure naturally.
Ingredients
Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas. If you use dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and boil them until they are tender.
Veggies: I have used onions, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber.
Spices: We will need chili powder, chaat masala, and kala namak (Indian black salt). You can replace chili powder with cayenne. You can find chaat masala and kala namak in Indian grocery stores.
Step-by-step instructions
Take boiled black chickpeas to a bowl. To this, add onion, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and mint leaves.
Next, add lemon juice, chaat masala, chili powder, black salt, and salt.
Give it a good mix. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve immediately or store for up to one day.
Useful tips
Adjust the spices and chutneys used as per your liking. For example, skip the green chilies when you are making this for kids.
It is best to serve it immediately or eat it within 24 hours. If you plan to make it ahead, keep everything ready in the refrigerator and mix just before serving.
Other ingredients that go very well with this salad are avocado, boiled potatoes, and raw mangoes.
You can use canned black chickpeas to make this salad. Drain the water from the can and rinse them well before using it.
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FAQs
Yes. You can make this chaat with white chickpeas (garbanzo beans), peanuts, or corn. Boil them until they are well-cooked but not mushy and use them as per this recipe. You can also use sprouted mung beans instead of boiled chickpeas. This dish also tastes great with canned mixed beans.
While soaking the kala chana reduces the cooking time immensely, you can boil them even without soaking them. I have shared above how to cook soaked chickpeas in an Instant Pot pressure cooker. If you have not soaked them, increase the pressure cooking time to 45 minutes.
Kala namak is a sulfurous pungent-smelling black Indian salt that is used in Indian cooking. It is also called Himalayan black salt and comes from the Himalayan region. It is commonly used in chutneys, snacks, kachumber salad, and raita. It is also sprinkled on fruits to add taste and flavor. Black salt has been mentioned in Ayurveda and is considered a cooling spice that is used as a healing agent.
Chaat masala is a spice mix that is commonly used in Indian street foods and savory snacks. It is made with dried mango powder, black Indian salt (kala namak), cumin powder, and several other spices. It is easily available in Indian grocery stores or other online stores.
Bonus
This kala chana chaat is:
- healthy and nutritious and filling,
- no oil, plant-based salad that is high in protein,
- vegan and gluten-free.
Recipe card
Kala Chana Chaat / Black Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups black chickpea boiled (see notes)
- ½ small red onion chopped
- 1 small cucumber diced
- 1 small carrot grated
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes cut into quarter
- 1 small green chili finely chopped
- ½ lemon or lime
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Take boiled black chickpeas in a bowl. To this, add onion, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and mint leaves.
- Next, add lemon juice, chaat masala, chili powder, black salt, and salt. Give it a good mix.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately or store for up to one day.
Gen says
I’d never tried black chickpeas before and just loved this recipe! The freshness from the vegetables and herbs mixed with the chickpeas made a delicious work lunch. Thank you for the recipe!
Rachna says
This kala chana salad is my go to when I am craving a healthy and filling snack. I love the taste of chaat masala in this chaat. The crunch of veggies is so tasty too. My family loves it.
Sue says
I made this with white chickpeas as that is what I already had. Love the flavors and textures of this salad! Can't wait to have it again, will be looking for black chickpeas this time!
Healing Tomato says
Kala chana is my childhood favorite. We used to make a salad just like this, so I was so happy to see your recipe. I made it yesterday and ate it all by myself. It's so delicious.
Kris says
This was one of the most unique and tasty salads I've ever had! Such pleasing textures and flavors all around. Already can't wait to make it again! 🙂