Kachumber Salad is a delicious and straightforward Indian side dish. It consists of freshly chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with some spices. There is no need for any dressing to make this salad, and hence it is absolutely oil-free.

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What is Kachumber Salad
Why To Make Kachumber Salad
Ingredients
Step by Step Directions
Serving Suggestions
Storing Suggestions
Add-Ins
Helpful Tips
More Side Dish Recipes
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What is Kachumber Salad

Kachumber means a mixture or, to be very precise, a salad in Hindi. Maybe it is a Gujarati word as well because that is how we always name this salad. It is a mixture of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, salt, pepper, and lemon. Traditionally, it includes onions too. But because we don’t consume onion, my Kachumber recipe is onion-free.

When I was a kid, we did not have a variety of salads at that time. And I remember my mom used to make this salad often for us, and whenever we had guests coming over. Before serving, she sometimes sprinkled some Boondi (a fried snack from chickpea flour) on the Kachumber Salad. And that is to add a nice crunch and flavor to the salad.

So basically, this salad is highly customizable, and you can add more veggies and spices as per your preference.

Why To Make Kachumber Salad

Oil-Free and Low-Calorie
Healthy, Vegan, Gluten-Free
Great for Weight-Loss
Easy, Fresh, and High In Water Content
Delicious, Filling, and Satisfying

Ingredients

Vegetables: I have added tomatoes, cucumbers, and green pepper. You can skip green pepper if you want. Also, you can add more choices of vegetables like shredded carrots and, or cabbage. If using English cucumber, wash, peel and chop it. But if using field cucumber, or cucumber with many large seeds, peel it and cut it length-wise. Remove the seeds and then chop them. Instead of regular tomatoes, you can also use cherry or grape tomatoes if you prefer.
Mint and Coriander Leaves: Mint leaves make this salad amazingly refreshing, and I love to add them to the Kachumber. But if you do not have mint leaves, skip them. Or you can also add dry mint powder if you have it. Coriander leaves add a pleasant earthy flavor to the salad, and it goes beautifully well with tomatoes and cucumbers. Again, you can skip it, but I will highly recommend adding coriander leaves.
Seasonings: To season this Kachumber Salad, we require very few spices. I have added salt, black pepper, roasted cumin powder, and cayenne pepper. Also, I have added a small and finely chopped green chili for the heat. You can skip cayenne pepper and green chili if you do not want any heat in your salad. Or, you can add just either one.
Lime or Lemon Juice: It adds freshness and a zing to the salad. Add it as per your taste.

Step by Step Directions

Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers.
Also, finely chop the green chili, mint leaves, and coriander leaves.
If using English cucumber, there is no need to remove the seeds. But if you use field or regular cucumber, peel it, cut it lengthwise, and scrape the seeds. Then chop the cucumber.

In a medium mixing bowl, take all the vegetables and herbs.
Mix well.

Add salt, ground black pepper, roasted cumin powder, cayenne pepper or red chili powder, and lime juice.
Stir until everything is well combined.

Kachumber Salad is ready to serve, and if you want, garnish it with more mint leaves and chopped coriander leaves.
You can also serve it with lime wedges.

Serving Suggestions

Kachumber Salad goes well with almost every Indian meal. You can serve it as a side dish with other cuisines as well.
You can serve this fresh, vibrant, and colorful salad with Rice and Dal. Or have it with a Roti and Sabji for the complete meal.
It goes well with vegetable pulao or biriyani. For example, you can serve Kachumber Salad with this Tomato rice or Tawa pulao.

Storing Suggestions

It is best to serve this salad immediately when it is fresh. Because once the salt is mixed with veggies, they will release the water and making the salad runny.
But if you still need to keep it longer, or have leftover, cover it tightly and place it in the fridge for only up to few hours.

Add-Ins

Vegetable Add-Ins: You can add more vegetables to this salad. For example, you can add shredded carrots and cabbage. Instead of green cabbage, you can also add shredded purple cabbage. Add colored bell pepper for the colorful and peppery sweet salad. The other variation is to add beets. To make the salad healthier and filling, add avocado chunks. Or, to add a fruitier taste, add pomegranate seeds or grapes to the salad.
Make The Salad Filling: If you want to make this salad more filling, add boiled chickpeas. You can also add boiled or roasted corn kernels. The other best option is to add roasted peanuts. If you are not concerned about calories, adding Boondi will make the salad delicious and crunchy.
Spice Variations: Add some black salt for a delicious earthy flavor. Instead of cayenne pepper, you can add hot or sweet paprika powder. Instead of lime or lemon juice, we can also add amchur powder for the tanginess. Or for more flavors, sprinkle some chaat masala to the Kachumber Salad.

Helpful Tips

Cucumber: If using the cucumber with lots of seeds, cut the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds and then chop the cucumber.
Tomatoes: Do not use very soft or mushy tomatoes for the Kachumber Salad.
Green Pepper: You can skip green pepper if you want, or add other colored bell peppers for a colorful Kachumber Salad.
Spices: Add more or fewer spices as per your taste preference. Skip green chili if you do not like spicy salad.
Make-Ahead: This salad can not be prepared in advance, as after adding salt, the salad will become soggy and watery. But you can chop the veggies in advance, and when ready to serve, mix the veggies with other ingredients.
Scaling: You can easily double, tripled, or halved the recipe as per your need.