Kala Chana Chaat / Black Chickpea Salad

Healthy, filling, satisfying, protein-packed Kala Chana Chaat is delicious and tempting! This black chickpea salad is tangy, fresh, flavorful, and makes a great lunch, snack, or side dish.

Kala Chana Chaat consists of black chickpeas, celery, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spices. This salad is healthy, vegetarian (and vegan), sugar-free, and without onion and garlic.

Making this dish is beyond easy; it requires only a few ingredients and tastes mouth-watering with many flavors.

Jump to:

• About Kala Chana Chaat
• Why You Will Love This Salad
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How To Make Kala Chana Chaat
• Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• Helpful Tips
• More Healthy Salad Recipes
• Recipe Card

About Kala Chana Chaat

I love black chickpeas as much as white chickpeas. When I was living with my parents, I used to have black chickpea dishes very often. Now I do not cook that often, but I love making dishes with black chickpeas whenever I can.

My family loves this salad, and I often make it as a side dish. But on lazy weekends, we sometimes have this easy salad as lunch. It is very filling and works perfectly as a light meal.

I prefer this Kala Chana Chaat hot or warm, so I cook it before serving. In my opinion, cooked and warm Chana salad tastes better than raw salad. However, I have used only a teaspoon of oil to cook this salad.

But if you want to make it raw, take boiled chickpeas in a large bowl, and add all the other ingredients except oil. Mix well and serve.

Black chickpeas are loaded with nutrients. They are high in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates and packed with vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients and Substitutions

1. Black Chickpeas / Kala Chana: I have cooked chickpeas in the pressure cooker, and one cup of raw chickpeas will yield about 2 to 2½ cups of boiled chickpeas. Instead of a pressure cooker, you can also use an instant pot for cooking black chickpeas. It is essential to soak the chickpeas for at least 8 hours or overnight. Also, the chickpeas should be soft and well-cooked. Instead of black chickpeas, you can also use white chickpeas.
2. Oil: I have used olive oil, but any cooking oil of your choice will work. Also, I have used only a teaspoon of oil to saute chili, celery, and tomatoes.
3. Green Chili: It is optional to add green chili, but if you do not mind a slight spiciness, I will recommend adding it. Instead of green chili, you can add jalapeno pepper or green chili sauce for spiciness.
4. Celery: It adds nutrition and crunch to this salad. However, skip it or add finely chopped green pepper if you do not have celery. You can also add other colors of bell peppers to this salad if you want.
5. Tomato: I used one large tomato for this salad, and it was enough for the right amount of tanginess. But if you want, you can add up to two tomatoes finely chopped to this chaat. I have used Roma tomato, but other varieties will also work.
6. Spices: The spices I have used for this Kala Chana Chaat are essential for bringing street-style flavors to this dish. We need turmeric powder, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and chaat masala. Roasted cumin powder, black salt, and chaat masala will provide unique and lots of flavors to this salad. If you do not have roasted cumin powder, roast the cumin seeds on low-medium heat until they are fragrant, for about 3-4 minutes. Then, let them cool and crush them on a flat surface using a rolling pin.
7. Herbs: Fresh coriander leaves add an earthy flavor to the chaat. With coriander leaves, you can also add a tablespoon of finely chopped mint leaves for the refreshing flavors.
8. Lime Juice: Lime juice adds freshness and tanginess to the salad. It elevates the flavors of this Kala Chana Chaat. Squeeze the lime juice as much as you prefer. Instead of lime juice, you can also use lemon juice.

How To Make Kala Chana Chaat

• Heat oil in a pan and add chopped chili and celery.
• Mix well and saute on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

• Add tomatoes, mix well, and continue cooking until tomatoes are soft but not mushy.

• Add boiled black chickpeas and mix well.
• Then add turmeric powder, black salt, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, and red chili powder. 
• Mix well and cook the Chana mixture for 4-5 minutes. Now taste the salad and add salt as needed, and mix well.

• Turn off the heat, add coriander leaves and lime juice to taste.
• Mix everything well and transfer it to the serving bowl.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve this salad hot, warm, or at room temperature as you desire.
• Garnish it with more coriander leaves and squeeze more lime juice if you like.
• Enjoy the salad as it is, or have it with tortilla chips or crackers.

Variations

• You can add boiled potatoes and bell peppers to this salad.
• Mix in some avocado chunks right before serving the Kala Chana Chaat.
• Garnish the salad with pomegranate seeds, chopped cucumber, or chopped raw mango.
• If you are not watching the calories, you can also garnish this salad with some fine Sev.

Helpful Tips

• Boiling Black Chickpeas: Soak one cup of black chickpeas in water for 8 hours or overnight. Discard the water and place the chickpeas in a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Cook the chickpeas for 5-6 whistles or until well cooked. Drain the Chana and use it for the recipe. Or you can also use an instant pot. Pressure cook chickpeas with 3 cups of water and salt on high for 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, drain the chickpeas, and use them for the recipe.
• Make a Raw Salad: If you do not want to use oil and want to keep the vegetables raw, you can still make this delicious salad. Take the boiled chickpeas in a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (except oil), mix well, and serve.

More Healthy Salad Recipes

Recipe Card