Inspiration for the Dish

The British summers have been getting hotter and hotter each year that passes. On hot, sweltering days, the last thing you want to be doing is spending hours labouring over simmering pots. Salads are a fantastic option to reduce the amount of cooking that’s required. This recipe adittedly does require that you use the oven, although this can be done in advance while you are out of the room!

On the truly hot days, we look for fresh and refreshing flavours in light dishes that are easily digestible. This gives you exactly that. With an abundance of fresh vegetables paired with tangy pickles and a herby, cooling dressing, it ticks all the boxes.

The warmer months also tend to be the most social months of the year, and a big part of that is going out for food with friends. One of the most popular options for this in the UK is to go for an Indian meal. This is something I find myself doing quite a lot in the summer, so I wanted to try to capture some of that flavour in here with the massala spices on the chickpeas.

I wanted to take it a step further and incorporate this theme into the dressing. What I have made here is quite close to and heavily inspired by an Indian green chutney. This of the light green sauce served with popadoms. That is what I was drawing upon here. The end result is a fresh and fragrant dressing that bursts with flavour in your mouth!

Salad Essentials

Good salads are comprised of a few key elements. They need greens, vegetables, a protein source, crunch and a dressing. Chickpeas are a great protein source as a vegetarian option, as is tofu. In this recipe, we are combining the crunchy element with the protein by roasting the chickpeas.

You should always be looking out for ways to liven up your food and inject some excitement. When looking over the common salad ingredients, I wanted to mix it up a little. As a result, I decided to char the peppers to give some smokiness and change their texture. Red peppers, when charred, develop a wonderfully floral taste and aroma that goes so well in this.

Adapting This Recipe

Adapting this is really very easy. You can oviously swap out your leafy greans and vegetables, or mix up the spices. Alternatives you may want to consider would be ras el hanout, za’atar or a Greek style with oregano and paprika. You could even use pastes instead, such as harissa etc. The principle of roasting the chickpeas until crispy is the most important element, and is really worth knowing!

For this recipe, I have charred the peppers on my hob. You can roast them if you want, but they will not get nearly the same depth of flavour. The best alternative is to cook them on the BBQ, but if you are not already lighting the BBQ, this is a bit of a waste. This is why I choose to do them on the hob usually.

Crispy Massala Chickpea & Charred Pepper Salad

This Indian inspired salad is smoky, spicy, tangy, fresh and refreshing. A perfect option for a hot summers day! Bursting with flavour and colour!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 2 People

Course: Brunch, Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the Salad

• 2 Red Peppers
• 160 g Spinach
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 Red Chilli
• 2 Spring Onions
• 3 tbsp Pickled Red Onions https://tomstable.com/sweet-and-sharp-pickled-red-onions/

For the Chickpeas

• 400 g Chickpeas Drained and dried
• 1 1/2 tsp Garam Massala
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil

For the Dressing

• 4 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 Lemon
• 1 handful Coriander Leaves
• 1 handful Mint Leaves
• 1 tsp Salt

Method

 

1. Roast the Chickpeas

1. Heat your oven to 200°C fan.
2. Drain your chickpeas, rinse them and drain them again. Once drained, spread out across kitchen paper and dry thoroughly.
   
3. Mix your spices in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Spread your chickpeas over an oven tray, drizzle with the oil and scatter the spices over them. Mix thoroughly to ensure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
   
5. Put the chickpeas into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes. Take them out and let them cool.

2. Char the Peppers

1. Set your hob burner to high.
2. Using metal tipped tongs, hold the peppers over the flame until it starts to blister and char.
   
3. Continue to move the peppers around until they are evenly charred all over. By this point, they should be getting very fragrant.
   
4. Set aside in a bowl and cover with clign film or foil to let them steam a bit.

3. Make the Dressing

1. Add all your dressing ingredients to a small blender. Rip the herbs by hand and roughly chop the garlic to help the process. Juice the lemon into the blender.
   
2. Blend until smooth. You may need to stop intermittently to scrape it off the walls of your blender to ensure it is all blended evenly.
   
3. Taste and see how it is. Add more salt if you need, and add more herbs if you think it needs more!

4. Assemble the Salad

1. Finely slice your chilli and spring onion, dice your tomatoes and cucumbers and chop your roasted peppers.
   
2. Lay down a base of spinach leaves and top with the tomatoes, chillis and cucumbers.
3. Distribute the charred peppers over the salad base.
4. Scatter the roasted chickpeas over the salad, and top with the spring onions and pickled red onions.
5. Drizzle your dressing over the top and serve.