Black Chana and Mango Salad (Chaat-Style)
Chaat-style black chana salad with ripe mango, sweet corn, tomato, and onion tossed in lemon, chaat masala, and optional black salt. Vegan and gluten-free; perfect for summer lunch or picnics.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Colander (for draining chickpeas)
- Pressure cooker or pot (only if cooking dried kala chana from scratch)
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked kala chana black chickpeas; drained and cooled
- 1 heaped cup ripe mango firm-ripe; diced small
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels fresh, thawed frozen, or drained canned
- 1 medium tomato deseeded and diced small
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1-2 green chillies optional; finely chopped
For the chaat toss
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chaat masala or to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black salt kala namak; optional
- 1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder optional
- Fine salt, to taste, add at the very end
Optional finishes
- Handful of sev or roasted peanuts for crunch
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Prep
- If starting from dried kala chana, soak overnight (or quick-soak), pressure cook until tender, drain, and cool completely. If using canned, rinse, drain, and pat dry on a towel.
- Dice mango and tomato to similar small sizes. Deseed tomato to reduce excess liquid.
Build the salad
- In a wide bowl, combine cooked kala chana, corn, onion, green chilli if using, and cilantro. Toss gently.
- Fold in mango and tomato. Drizzle lemon juice and sprinkle chaat masala, black salt if using, and roasted cumin if using. Toss gently.
- Taste, then add fine salt only right before serving. Top with sev or peanuts if desired. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Salt mango and tomato at the last minute to avoid a watery bowl.
Firm-ripe mango holds cubes better than very soft fruit.
Canned black chickpeas work; rinse well and dry slightly for best texture.
Refrigerate cooked chana up to three days ahead; toss fresh the day you eat.
If chaat masala is unavailable, combine roasted cumin, amchur, pinch chilli powder, and black salt to approximate tang.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!