Chickpea Salad with Indian-inspired Spices and Yogurt
This savory, satisfying chickpea salad with Indian-inspired spices and a lemony yogurt dressing is one of my very favorite easy meals. With a mere two minutes on the stove and just a handful of ingredients, you can make something really special.
Servings: 4
Calories: 292kcal
Ingredients
- 2 15- oz. 425-gram cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) safflower oil
- 1 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
- ¾ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- ¾ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- ¾ cup (215 grams) whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Dry the chickpeas and place into a large mixing bowl.
- In a small skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.
- Add the mustard seeds, partially cover the skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until the mustard seeds almost stop popping, about a minute.
- Add the cumin and fennel seeds and cook for another minute.
- Pour the hot oil and spices over the chickpeas.
- Stir in the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, scallions, cilantro and salt.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- Black mustard seed (sometimes called brown) is different from yellow mustard. It has a warmer, more complex flavor profile. Black mustard seed is a frequent ingredient in Indian cooking and is well worth buying if you don’t already have it on hand. (You can type “black mustard seed” into the search bar on this site for some more great ways to use it.)
- Canned chickpeas make this dish quick and easy, and they work great here. You can cook your own chickpeas from dried, of course, if you like. The two cans in this recipe equal about 3 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt gives this dish a welcome smoothness. You can substitute a plant-based strained yogurt to make it vegan.
- This chickpea salad is a great contender for making in advance. It will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. If you like, toss in the fresh herbs just before serving. It's best served at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge an hour or so before mealtime.
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.1g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 13g | Fiber: 2.3g