Channa Salad

Ingredients

1cup boiled Bengal gram/black channa
1medium sized onion chopped fine
1 small tomato chopped
2" piece of cucumber chopped
1 small carrot chopped fine
1/2 t spoon of finely chopped ginger
1 chopped green chilli
fresh corriander/ cilantro chopped, mint leaves
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 t spoon whole jeera/cumin seeds
1/4 t spoon chilli powder
1/2 t spoon corriander powder
11/2 t spoon of olive oil


Method

• If using raw channa/ gram, wash and soak it in water for atleast4-5 hours. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt and 3cups of water. When high pressure is reached lower heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the steam escape naurally. Open the cooker and drain out excess water if any.,this can be added later to the channa . If using canned channa/gram drain and wash under running water.
• Heat oil in a frypan ,add whole jeera(cumin) and let it splutter. Lower heat ,add the corriander and chilli powder and quickly add the channa without letting the masalas burn.Mix well  so that the channa  is well coated with the masalas. The excess water can be added at this stage and dried out.Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.
• Mix all the chopped vegetables and the channa in a salad bowl , add the lime juice and toss well.
• Enjoy it as a snack or a meal with bread or rotis of your choice.

Note: A simpler version is to mix all the ingredients except the dry masalas and toss it well with the lime juice and olive oil. Chaat masala can be added to spike it.

If not using a pressure cooker, soak the channa overnight in hot water, its best to use a pressure cooker for legumes and lentils though.