Kala Chana Chaat / Black Chickpea Salad

5 from 39 votes

Kala Chana Chaat / Black Chickpea Salad

Kala chana chaat is a filling, and nutritious salad made using protein-rich black chickpeas, fresh veggies, herbs, and aromatic spices. This tangy and spicy salad is a burst of bold and complex flavors, is made without any oil, and is perfect for those following a vegan or gluten-free diet.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition