If you're like us and could eat curries everyday for the rest of your life, you're in luck. We're going to show you a way to get your Indian food fix in, while keeping things simple and affordable.
This smashed curried chickpea salad is made with items you probably already have laying around in your pantry, so what's stopping you?
Table of Contents
📖 About
This curried chickpea salad is inspired by our deep love for Indian food and culture. As self proclaimed curry experts, it only makes sense for us to try and curry-fy everything we come in contact with.
We are actually supposed to be moving to India this month. Yes, you heard that right. Moving.
So, while that isn't happening for obvious reasons, we decided to bring a little bit of India here to share with you. It's saddening to have our travel plans postponed, especially because it's a place we've wanted to go our whole lives.
But, during this uncertain time, cooking always brings us such happiness and joy. We hope it shows in this recipe. So enough about us. Let's get our curry on!
🍲 Key ingredients
- Chickpeas: (also known as garbanzo beans). These nuggets are full of protein and fiber. They create an exceptional texture, all while keeping you full for a long time. If you are able to cook chickpeas from dry, or any bean for that matter, it really changes the flavor and texture for the better. But canned beans also work, and they are quicker if you're in a pinch for time.
- Raisins: the burst of sweetness from dried fruit levels out the spicy curry powder for a perfect harmony in this salad. We personally love raisins or dates best in this recipe, but use whatever your favorite dried fruit is!
- Curry powder: this is really the star of the show (and a star in our hearts). Tread lightly with this flavorful spice though. You can always add more, but it's much harder to take away.
- Cilantro: if you are one of those people that doesn't like cilantro (also known as coriander), we can't be friends. But seriously though, this herb makes every Indian dish so much better, wouldn't you agree?
🔪 Instructions
To begin with, you're going to need to mash some chickpeas in a bowl. You don't have to completely obliterate them. There should still be some chunks and maybe the odd whole one. Use a potato masher or fork. You can also give them a quick pulse in a food processor to save on time.
Then, roast some cashews if you don't already have pre-roasted ones from the store. You can use any nut, but we find cashews taste the best in this. You can also omit them entirely if you are trying to save more money.
After you chop and roast everything, mix it all together and that's it! You can serve it on wraps, over greens, or in a sandwich. We told you this recipe is easy.
🌡️ Storage
This recipe stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days. To be honest, we may even like it better on day 2 when all of the spices have had a chance to soak in.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Cook your chickpeas from dry since they are more affordable than canned
- Serve this chickpea salad in wraps or sandwiches to make it last longer
- Try making your own vegan mayo!
🍴 Tasting notes
This smashed curried chickpea salad is such a hit in our house. We know you'll love it too. It's:
- Spicy
- Sweet
- Creamy
- Crunchy
- Filling
If you try this, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Smashed Curried Chickpea Salad
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Food processor or potato masher
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas ($0.34)
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced ($0.05)
- ¼ cup red onions, finely diced ($0.03)
- ⅓ cup raisins ($0.21)
- ¼ cup roasted cashews ($0.43)
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.36)
- 3 tablespoon vegan mayo ($0.20)
- 1-2 tablespoon cilantro, minced ($0.07)
- 2 teaspoon curry powder ($0.02)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced ($0.04)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder ($0.02)
- Salt and pepper to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat an oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Spread cashews out on a baking sheet, and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Open and drain 2 cans of chickpeas. For best results, cook dried chickpeas in an instant pot.
- Measure out 2 cups of chickpeas into a food processor. Pulse a few times until you achieve a mashed consistency. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a potato masher or a fork to achieve the desired results.
- Transfer chickpeas into a large mixing bowl, and add in the rest of the ingredients. Combine well, adjusting seasonings as needed.
- Serve on toast, wraps, lettuce wraps, or just eat it straight out of the bowl!
Notes
- Cashews are our favorite nut to use in this recipe, but toasted almonds work great too!
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more recipes to use chickpeas in, check out our:
- Chickpea tuna salad if you want a more classic version of this infamous salad.
- Chickpea fries with rosemary garlic aioli for chickpeas prepared in a unique and delicious way!
- Creamy Moroccan hummus, but only if you love creamy and perfectly spiced foods.
- Moroccan chickpea stew for a hearty and warming bowl to serve with some couscous.
💬 FAQ
It's not 100% necessary, but it is recommended for two reasons. One, they need to be softened before they boil. And two, pre-soaking them makes them more digestible.
The chickpeas should be soaked for a minimum of 8 hours. Overnight is even better.
A pressure cooker is not necessary to cook the chickpeas, but it is preferred so you can "set it and forget it." It is definitely possible to cook them in a pot on the stove though.
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