Rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals, such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus, chickpeas are the most widely consumed legumes globally. With so many recipes to make this from around the world, such as India, Italy, Morocco, and Mexico, one can never complain of monotony while tossing up this ever-favorite and healthy salad.
Revithia in Greek, ceci in Italian, kichererbse in German, and garbanzo bean or Bengal gram in English, chickpeas make for one of the best protein sources in the world. One of the earliest legumes to be cultivated in the world, as evidenced by archeological remains in Turkey, France, Italy, and Greece, among others.
Today, the highest producer of chickpeas happens to be India, with the yield per year standing at a whopping 5,970,000 tons, followed by Pakistan (842,000 tons), Turkey (523,553 tons), Australia (313,000 tons), and Iran (310,000 tons).
Today, chickpeas are used in innumerable food recipes, such as to make pilaf, Indian chana masala, sweet chickpea halua in Bangladesh, chholaar daal (lentils) in West Bengal, India, and halo-halo in Philippines. These are only a few examples from the plethora of delicacies that actually use chickpeas. But among all these, it is the easiest to use these light-colored beads to make extremely nutritious salad.
East Indian Chickpea Salad
Start by gathering
Chickpeas, 4½ cups
Leeks, 6 (thinly chopped)
Green chilies, 1 (finely chopped)
Lemon juice, 2 tbsp.
Cilantro, 2 tsp. (finely hacked)
Salt, ¾ tsp.
Cayenne, ¼ tsp.
Black pepper, ¼ tsp.
Procedure First, boil the chickpeas in water. They must become soft and yet stay firm. Drain the water after that, and then in a large mixing bowl, blend the chickpeas with the leaks, chilies, cilantro, cayenne, lemon juice, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Toss until all is well mingled, and then chill in the fridge for a good 1 hour. Before serving, toss again and bring it to room temperature. A perfectly gluten-free, parevine salad, great for vegans and vegetarians alike.
Spicy Indian Chickpea Salad
A fast salad to toss up for 6. Get
Chickpeas, 2 cans
Leeks, 2
Whole milk yogurt, ¾ cup
Cilantro, ¼ cup
Mint, ¼ cup
Peanut oil, 2 tbsp.
Lemon juice, 1½ tbsp.
Mustard seeds, 1 tsp.
Kosher salt, 1 tsp.
Fennel seeds, ¾ tsp.
Cumin seeds, ¾ tsp.
Red pepper, ¼ tsp.
Procedure Heat the peanut oil in a cooking pan, throw in the mustard seeds, and cover and cook for a minute on a high flame. When the seeds start to pop, throw in the fennel and the cumin seeds, along with red pepper, and sauté for half a minute more.
Place the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and pour the spiced oil over it. Toss once, and then add the yogurt, lemon juice, leeks, and the herbs to it. Use a wooden spatula to mix thoroughly. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.
Italian Chickpea Salad
This salad for 6 can be lavishly garnished with 150 grams of crumbled feta, some chopped black olives and capers, as well as little pan-fried can cubed cabanossi. Gather
Chickpeas in brine, 1 300-g can
Tomatoes, 4
Red onions, 2
Green beans, 150 g
Button mushrooms, 125 g
Red pepper, 1
Balsamic vinaigrette, ¾ cup
Parsley, ¼ cup
Oil, a dash
Procedure Place the chickpeas, mushrooms, and parsley in a mixing bowl, and pour in the balsamic vinaigrette. Let the flavors meld for 15 minutes. In the meantime, pour the oil on the red onions, and place it in the oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 220°C.
Now, on a plate, arrange the green beans, quartered tomatoes, red pepper, and the microwaved onions at the base, and then top it off with the marinated chickpeas. Now, place a dome-shaped, round food cover on this and let it stand for half an hour. Serve after mixing the ingredients, if you wish.
Mexican Chickpea Salad
To make this side dish, you will need
Chickpeas, 4 cups (canned, drained)
Jalapeño chiles, 3 (seeded and minced)
Tomatoes, 3 (medium, vine-ripened, skinned, seeded, and cubed)
Chipotle chiles en adobo, 2 (canned, washed, seeded, and minced)
Garlic cloves, 2 (finely chopped)
Onion, 1 (medium, minced)
Lime juice, ¼ cup
Extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup
Cilantro leaves, 3 tbsp. (hacked)
Black pepper, to taste
Procedure Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir with a wooden spatula. Refrigerate covered for 10 hours. Add a little more lime juice if you want, and season with salt. Serve cold.
Moroccan Chickpea Salad with Ginger
For a group of 4, try making this tangy salad with
Chickpeas, 800 g (washed and drained)
Garlic cloves, 2 (minced)
Lemon juice, yield of 1½ lemons
Ginger, 1 ½" piece (grated)
Red onion, 1 (large, chopped well)
Coriander, 1 bunch (hacked)
Virgin olive oil, 5 tbsp.
Chili flakes, a pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cumin and paprika, to taste (ground and mixed)
Procedure Heat a single tablespoon of the oil in a pan, and throw in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 7 minutes, and then add the chickpeas and chili flakes.
Sauté for half a minute more. Pour in the lemon juice. Let this cook until all the juice has evaporated, and then add the hacked coriander and the seasoning to the mixture. Sauté for a bit and then remove from heat. Once in the serving bowl, drizzle the remaining olive oil and the cumin-paprika from top, and serve.
Another Moroccan variation of the chickpea salad can be made by placing 19 ounces of drained chickpeas, a single diced celery stalk, 1 medium, cubed tomato, 1 chopped capsicum, 6 cubed leeks, along with ½ a cup of feta cheese in a large mixing bowl.
And then tossing it well to cake it uniformly with the thick dressing made of 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice and olive oil, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and a single tablespoon each of fresh parsley and dry ground cumin, along with a teaspoonful of fresh mint leaves and salt and pepper to season.
This particular recipe is actually very similar to the Mediterranean chickpea salad recipe, except that the Mediterranean version always has crumbled feta added to it along with the addition of cucumber.