Channa (Chickpea) Salad with Onions and Dried Mango Powder

from the book Salads of India by Varsha Dandekar

Note: Video included at the bottom of this post.

“This is spicy. You can serve it as a filling for pita bread and with aloo chat, yogurt, date chutney, onions and tomatoes. You can also toss the curried chickpeas with a leafy salad to give it a different taste.” —– (excerpt from the book)

I personally do not find this recipe to be spicy at all. Although the directions say to serve it at room temperature, this is a salad I make and keep for a few days, so I store it in the refrigerator. My kitchen tends to have little ants in it and we don’t leave any food out on the counter or table. We make sure all dishes are washed and put away and we don’t leave anything lying around. The little buggers still waltz around the counter like they own the place (even with traps). I think this salad has a fantastic taste and although I’m not able to eat it at room temperature, I love it cold too.

I recommend that you chop your onions and tomatoes ahead of time and measure out your spices so that you can throw everything in the pan as you make your way through the recipe.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons soy oil

3 whole cloves

3 cardamom pods

6 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

2 cups finely minced onion

1 cup finely chopped tomato

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon amchoor (mango powder)

3 cups boiled chickpeas (you can use canned)

1 medium-sized tomato, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)

1 medium-sized onion, sliced for garnish (I leave this out in the video)

Directions

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan (I used a frying pan), heat the oil and add the cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the onions and stir until the onions are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for 10 minutes or until the onions and tomatoes are all mashed together and the oil separates from them.
4. Add the garam masala, salt, and amchoor to the onions and tomatoes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add the chickpeas and stir-fry for 5 more minutes, mashing the chickpeas with the spoon as you stir. When the chickpeas are coated with the spices, remove from the stove. Garnish and serve at room temperature. Serves 4.

Garam Masala

Note: You can buy this premade. You will be able to find it in an Indian or Asian market or you can order it on Amazon. If you’d like to make it yourself, here are directions:

This recipe makes 3/4 of a cup.

Ingredients

3 pieces of cinnamon stick

1/2 cup green cardamom pods

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/4 cup coriander seeds

1/4 cup black peppercorns

Directions

Roast the ingredients in skillet separately, one at a time, for a few minutes. When they begin to get slightly brown, remove from heat. Break open the cardamom pods and grind everything in a blender or grinder. If you want a masala that is milder, use 1/2 cup of coriander and 1/2 cup of cumin instead of 1/4 cup.

If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, this will last 6-7 months without losing its flavor.