Make Ahead

"Wildfire" chaat - Indian chickpea salad with mint chutney

by:
July  1, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

It had been unseasonably hot here in Colorado and when this contest was announced, I thought it would be the perfect time to make this light, refreshing dish and enter the recipe in the contest. So I made it last Tuesday, June 26th, and as we were about to sit down for dinner, we suddenly heard fire engines wailing in our neighborhood, our backyard filled with thick, grey smoke and a police car came screaming down our neighborhood.
The wildfires that were to ravage Colorado Springs over the next few days had arrived at our doorstep - in the blink of an eye. We had to evacuate our house in less than 25 minutes.
On Saturday, when we got back to our house (which had been, thankfully, untouched by the fire that burned a mile down the road), I saw my half eaten dish of this chaat on the dining table, left from when we had evacuated in a rush... Of course, it looked horribly shriveled and dry. It was the first time in days that I burst out laughing.
I made this chaat again today. This was my way of easing back into our old life. Hope you make it soon too!


Madhuja

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Ingredients
  • Mint chutney
  • 25 large mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch cilantro leaves and young stems, roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon chaat masala (found in Indian grocery stores)
  • 3 tablespoons agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • "Wildfire" chaat - Indian chickpea salad
  • 5 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
  • 4 cups garbanzo beans (about 2 cans)
  • 1 English cucumber, small diced
  • 1 orange pepper, small diced
  • 1/2 large red onion, small diced
  • 2 ripe Ataulfo mangoes, small diced
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and small diced
  • 1 cup roasted peanuts
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons chaat masala (found in Indian grocery stores)
Directions
  1. Mint chutney
  2. Blend everything together until it is smooth. Done!
  1. "Wildfire" chaat - Indian chickpea salad
  2. Let's char the corn first! Heat a skillet on medium high heat and place the ears of corn on it. Keep rotating them until you get a nice char on all sides. Set aside. When they are cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off and place them in a big bowl.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients in the big bowl and mix well. The "wildfire" chaat is now ready! Drizzle generously with the mint chutney and dig in right away!

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4 Reviews

EmilyC April 30, 2013
This looks great! We eat a lot of garbanzo beans so I'm excited to have a new way to use them. And sweet corn season can't get here soon enough!
Madhuja April 30, 2013
Thank you, EmilyC! We have this salad on a weekly basis in the summer, and I too cannot wait for the fresh corn to arrive in the market!
creamtea April 30, 2013
This looks good! Love the idea of easily charring corn on the stovetop.
Madhuja April 30, 2013
Thank you, creamtea! We couldn't possibly light up the grill with the wildfire raging around us, so I had to come up with a simpler solution! :)