Indian Chickpea Salad | Kala Chana Chaat

Tired of having a mediocre chickpea salad? Try this Indian chickpea and potato salad seasoned with tamarind chutney and Indian spices. It is such a refreshing treat in the summer.

Jump to:

• What is Chana Chaat(Indian Chickpea Salad)?
• Ingredients for Chickpea Salad
• How to Boil Potatoes
• How to Boil Chickpeas
• Tamarind Chutney Substitute
• How to Serve Chickpea Salad
• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need:
• More Quick & Easy Indian Recipes:
• Indian Chickpea Salad | Chana Chaat

What is Chana Chaat(Indian Chickpea Salad)?

Chaat is made of varieties of South Asian savory snacks seasoned with chutney and garnished with fresh cilantro, onion, and tomato.

Chana chaat is a very popular Indian street food. Made with boiled chickpea & potatoes, onion, tomato, Indian spices, and chutney. This Indian chickpea salad is simple, refreshing, sweet, and tangy.

Ingredients for Chickpea Salad

This recipe comes together quickly. If you have a can of chickpea in your pantry, you can whip up this recipe in no time. I have a few suggestions for substitutes as well if you haven't got all the ingredients for this recipe .

Produce

• Boiled Chickpeas: I am using boiled brown chickpeas for this recipe. Brown chickpeas have a dense texture and thicker skin compared to regular white chickpeas(garbanzo) sold in the States. They are high in fiber and Iron. You can find it at a South Asian grocery store.
• Boiled Potatoes: chopped boiled potatoes add great texture to this recipe. I am using Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. It can be substituted with boiled sweet potatoes or yams.

• Onion: I love diced onions in Chaat. Who wouldn't want a good crunchy onion in a salad ;)? I have used diced yellow onions for this recipe. Shallots or purple onions would work great as well.
• Tomato: I have used 1 large Roma tomato diced with seeds and juice. You may remove seeds if you do not like them, of course.
• Cilantro: chopped fresh cilantro is a must-have garnish for any Indian chaat or salad(kachumber). I am adding about ¼ cup of chopped cilantro to this recipe. Adjust the amount according to your preference.
• Green Chili: diced green chili is completely optional. I love having chaat slightly spicy. Diced green chili gives the heat that South Asian taste buds crave for ;). I have made chaat hundreds of times throughout childhood to adulthood and never missed adding green chili. Most of the South Asians can tolerate Thai and Serrano chilis quite well. If you aren't adventurous then please skip adding it.

Seasoning

• Tamarind Chutney: I like to purchase tamarind chutney from a South Asian grocery store and always have it in stock for any day chaat cravings. I have a great recipe for tamarind chutney that I plan on posting very soon. I also have a great recipe for Cilantro Chutney Raita(Indian yogurt sauce). It goes well with any Chaat.
• Cumin Powder: toasted cumin powder gives a great aroma and taste to this chickpea salad.
• Chaat Masala: see my fruit chaat recipe for tips on choosing chaat masala from the South Asian stores.
• Kashmiri Chili Powder: I recommend adding Kashmiri chili powder if you aren't going to use diced green chili. It gives a nice smokey and slightly spicy kick to this Indian chickpea salad. Start with ⅛ teaspoon if you are afraid of spices.
• Salt: I highly recommend using Himalayan pink salt or black rock salt for this recipe. However, it is just a recommendation and not a command ;). You do you.

How to Boil Potatoes

Potatoes can be boiled with the skin or without the skin. For this recipe, I have used leftover skinned boiled potatoes. Below are steps to boil potatoes with the peel and without the peel

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
• Wash and clean the potatoes thoroughly under running water.
• Add cleaned potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot of boiling water.

• Reduce the heat to low-medium to cook the potatoes for the following times:
• For 1lb of peeled and cut potatoes; it should take 12-18 minutes, depending on your stovetop heat.
• For 1Ib whole medium potatoes with skin; it should take about 20-25 minutes.
• To pressure cook 1Ib whole medium potatoes with skin in an Instant Pot; it should take about 7 minutes with natural pressure release.

How to Boil Chickpeas

• Wash and soak 2 cups of dry chickpeas in a large prep bowl with water overnight.
• Pressure cook soaked chickpeas with 1 teaspoon salt in an Instant Pot on high-pressure setting for 10 minutes with natural pressure release.
• Boiling soaked chickpeas in a pot on stovetop can take up to an hour, depending on your stove top.

Tamarind Chutney Substitute

I understand that not every household has a stock of Tamarind Chutney like South Asian households do ;). You can tweak this recipe by using lemon juice and honey.

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice + 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup or molasses.

How to Serve Chickpea Salad

In India everyone loves to eat this salad as a snack. It can be served as a side dish or a vegan/vegetarian meal.

• Serve it as a lettuce cup stuffing.
• Add it to a salad for extra protein.
• Serve it as a snack with Tortilla chips or mini Tortilla cups and garnish with diced tomatoes, onion, and hot sauce or your favorite condiments :).

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need:

1. Prep Bowl
2. Large Pot or Instant Pot
3. Utensils

More Quick & Easy Indian Recipes:

• Fruit Chaat
• Easy Indian Chicken and Potato Curry
• Chicken Curry
• Aloo Palak(Spinach & Potato)
• Stuffed Peppers
• Onion Raita(Onion & Yogurt Salad)
• Oven Roasted Mackerel