CHAAT SALAD
My husband had 18 of his cycling buddies over for dinner the other night and we wanted an easy to prepare dinner which would allow us to enjoy ourselves whilst also providing a delicious dinner.
So we did a buffet of Stuffed and Rolled Leg of Lamb, (which was cooked in the BBQ – easy and no dishes), Green Salad, Tzatziki, Smoked Eggplant, Chaat Salad and Roast Potatoes.
I have had so many requests for the Chaat Salad that I am sharing this recipe with you. This amount serves 4 people, but it is very easy to increase for the number of people you want to feed!!
- 1/2 Cucumber, seeds scooped out and chopped into pieces the size of a chickpea
- 1 bag Radishes, chopped into pieces the size of a chickpea
- 1 bunch Spring Onions, slices thinly into rounds
- Seeds of 1 Pomegranate
- 1 bunch Corriander – 1/2 chopped and 1/2 left as leaves for top of salad
- 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds
- 1 jar Chickpeas – drained and rinsed. Do this first to allow the water to drain out of them so they are not wet
- 1/2 teaspoon Chilli Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons Desiccated Coconut
Drain the Chickpeas and leave to dry.
Sauce: Put the Chilli Powder, Salt, Lemon Juice and Sugar together in a jug ready for when it is needed.
Chop all your salad ingredients as above.
Put the oil into a frying pan on medium heat. When it is hot, add the Mustard Seeds. Once they start to pop, add the drained Chickpeas. (This bit is messy as the Mustard Seeds and Chickpeas both jump out of the pan – but it is worth it!!!) Fry the Chickpeas for 5 minutes until they start to crisp up. Add the Sauce to the pan and swirl around. Turn the heat to low and add the Coconut. Stir around a couple of times and take off the heat.
Leave the Chickpea mixture to cool, then put it in a bowl with all the other chopped salad ingredients. Sprinkle the Coriander Leaves over the top.
This can be made well in advance on the day and keeps very well for two days in the fridge.
This recipe is based on the Chaat Salad recipe in the book Made in India by Meera Sodha. This book is excellent for easy to create Indian flavoured dishes at home.
