Kala Chana Salad | Protein Salad

Kala chana salad is a healthy and protein-rich salad recipe. This is an excellent meal option for those who are aiming to shed some extra kilos.

Kala Chana, aka Black Chickpeas

Because of its dark color, Kala chana is also known as black chickpeas, although some may refer to it as brown chickpeas.

These are a variety of dark brown chickpeas. Kala chana, aka black chickpeas, are protein-rich pulses popular in Indian cuisine. However, these are available globally in other countries as well. This is not only delicious, but it's nutritious as well. It's a valuable source of protein for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Like other legumes, kala chana is a good protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral source. It is exceptionally high in dietary fiber.

Health Benefits of Black Chickpeas

Chickpea is a good source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. This is rich in fiber also. It contains high antioxidants, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and other essential nutrients. It has zero trans fat and is hence suitable for health. This is a superfood with numerous health benefits.

A few benefits are listed below.

• It helps in weight loss.
• Helps in Controlling Diabetes
• Helps in Maintaining Low Cholesterol & Keeps Heart Healthy
• Prevents Digestive Disorder
• Beneficial for pregnant & lactating women
• It prevents anemia and boosts energy levels.
• Rich in antioxidants, it fights free radicals
• Excellent for healthy skin and promotes hair growth

Kala Chana - High Protein Salad

This is a delicious salad that goes well with every meal. It can also be a healthy snacking option. Since it is high in protein and fiber, it will keep you full for longer. Again, it is low in calories and oil-free.

Apart from being a high-protein salad, this salad is easy to make with fewer ingredients. For quicker ones, I soak them, cook them, and refrigerate them for 3 - 4 days. Then, it takes only a few minutes to assemble with the other ingredients.

Ingredients You'll Need

Black Chickpeas or Kala Chana: Soak the Kala chana or chickpeas overnight; they are hard in texture and need proper soaking before cooking. Then, cook in a manual pressure cooker for 7 - 8 whistles. You can also use the instant pot and cook for 20 - 30 minutes on high pressure or beans in automatic mode.

If you don't have black chickpeas, you can substitute white chickpeas (kabuli chana) similarly.

Cucumber: Cucumber is a zero-fat, low-calorie vegetable. This is high in fiber and has a lot of water content (96%). Thus, it helps to keep us full for longer and helps us lose weight.

Tomato: Tomato is one of the superfoods that helps people lose weight. It reduces inflammation and water retention in the body. The presence of leptin, a type of protein, helps regulate metabolic rate and appetite and shed extra pounds.

Red onion - Red onion brings a crunch to the salad.

Seasoning: Add some black salt/ rock salt and lemon juice. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. To make it spicy, either add finely chopped chilies or a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) and stir well. To make it a little tangy, add a pinch of chaat masala.

Instructions for making kala chana salad

Prepare chickpeas

This is the main task of this recipe. It takes a long preparation time since pulses are hard in texture, and we must soak and cook them first.

Step 1—Wash the chickpeas 2 to 3 times before soaking them. Add enough water to cover them, and soak for 6 - 8 hours.

Step 2—Remove the chickpeas from the water and transfer them to the manual pressure cooker or instant pot basket, depending on your cooking method. Add water and a tsp salt to this. Pressure cook until the chickpeas are soft. A manual pressure cooker may take up to 7 - 8 whistles. It takes approximately 20 minutes on high pressure in an instant pot.

Step 3 - Remove from the pressure cooker and pass it through a colander to remove from the liquid. You can store them in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days.

Step 4 - In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup boiled chickpeas.

Step 5—Chop the cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, green chili, and cilantro leaves into small pieces. Squeeze the juice from a tiny lemon.

Step 6 - Add the chopped veggies to the bowl of chickpeas, followed by lemon juice, salt, and chaat masala. Chaat masala is optional, but you may skip it.

Step 7 - Toss to mix everything well. Add some more cilantro leaves and the high-protein kala chana salad is ready to serve.

Variation

To make this enjoyable, saute chickpeas with spices before adding them to the veggies.

For this, heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add a pinch of cumin seeds and let them crackle. Then add a pinch of thing or asafoetida. Add chopped onions and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, and saute till the onion becomes translucent. Then add chopped tomatoes and saute till it becomes soft.

Add a pinch of salt (as required), coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder, and mix them well. Add 3 - 5 tbsp water and cook for a minute.

Then, add the boiled chickpeas to the pan and mix everything. Cook for another 2 - 3 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature before adding the other ingredients.

Then,, repeat the other steps similar to those mentioned above. These sauteed chickpeas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days.

How to store?

You can cook the chickpeas and store them in an air-tight container for 4 - 5 days. When required, remove from refrigerator 1 - 2hrs before and let it come to room temperature. Then add the veggies, spices, and a sprinkle of freshly squeezed lemon juice and some freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Other Black Chickpeas Recipes:

1. Kala Chana Curry
2. Kala Chana falafel

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