The Mediterranean diet, popularized in the 1970s, is inspired by the cuisine of parts of Greece and Italy in the early 1960s. Basic ingredients of traditional Mediterranean cuisine are the olive, wheat, and the grape yielding oil, bread, and wine respectively. It has gained popularity because of the apparent health benefits of a diet rich in olive oil, wheat and other grains, fruits, vegetables, and a certain amount of seafood, but low in meat and dairy products.
Chickpea Salad is such a scrumptious, filling, nutritious and a protein-packed way to enjoy fresh summer veggies. What’s more, it’s perfectly easy to throw together this recipe.
Refreshing cucumbers, juicy diced tomatoes, crispy bell peppers and smooth creamy hung curd are the best addition to chickpeas. The array of colorful vegetables which are loaded with flavor for an irresistible meal is ready in just minutes. Chickpeas are also known as Bengal gram and Garbanzo beans. They are a versatile base for salads and are inexpensive, fresh, loaded with protein, taste great and leave you feeling satisfied for hours. Chickpeas are very healthy food and are a perfect way to add plant-based protein to one’s daily diet. One can try and experiment with this recipe.
Ingredients for Preparing Chickpea Salad:
- 100 grams of chickpeas (Safed chana)
- 2 cups water and another 250ml of water
- ½ red onion
- ½ medium cucumber
- ½ red bell pepper
- 15-20 cherry tomatoes
- 15-20 black olives
- 2 tbsp full fat hung curd
- Salt to taste
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1tbsp lemon zest
- 1 small cup fresh parsley
- 1 small cup fresh mint
- 1 small cup fresh coriander
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- ½ tsp honey
- 1tsp mustard
Method:
STEP 1:
– In a bowl soak overnight 100 grams of chickpeas with 2 cups of water,
– In a muslin cloth add ¼ cup of full-fat curd and tie it to an elevated area to drain water overnight, so as to make hung curd.
STEP 2:
– Drain the water of the soaked chickpeas,
– In a pressure cooker add the soaked chickpeas, add 250 ml of water and ½ tsp of salt
– Give it 3 whistles on medium flame to cook it. Do not make it too soft and squishy
– When cooked, drain excess water and cool down chickpeas in a bowl for further preparation.
STEP 3:
– Dice cucumber and red bell pepper in medium-size pieces,
– Thinly slice the red onion and also thickly slice the black olives
– Cut the cherry tomatoes into half
– Chop the leaves of cilantro, mint, and parsley into small pieces,
– Crumble the hung curd that was made the previous night.
STEP 4:
– In a bowl add the cooled chickpeas
– On top of it add the diced cucumber, diced red bell peppers, sliced red onions and olives, and the cherry tomatoes
STEP 5:
For the garnishing:
– In a medium-sized bowl add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, honey, and mix it,
– Add the chopped leaves of cilantro, mint, and parsley in the jar along with the olive oil and lemon juice mixture
– Add the ½tsp of crushed black pepper to the mixture, and salt accordingly.
STEP 6:
– Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice garnishing in the jar on chickpeas and vegetables
– Gently toss and combine, so that the liquid mixture evenly coats everything in the bowl.
– Top the dish with the crumbled hung curd.
– Enjoy immediately or chill for at least an hour and eat later.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Soaking Time: 7-8 hours
Level: Easy
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