Chickenpea/Garbanzo Beans Salad

We have been trying to make healthier eating choices. I have seen that if we have a wholesome evening snack, we can keep our dinner light and also not give in to our 9pm chocolate cravings. The key is to make sure that the snack is ready before the hunger strikes. Once in a while we do fall off the healthy-eating-bandwagon and fill ourselves with Parle-G and Bourbon biscuits along with our evening cuppa - especially after a trip to the Indian store. 

Eating healthy do not necessarily mean eating bland or boring food. But drinking a smoothie each evening can get a little boring! To keep ourselves motivated to eat healthy we like to include chatpata (tangy) snacks in our diet. This is a very wholesome snack that takes care of our 5pm hunger perfectly. Add couple of handfuls of this salad to your leafy greens and you have got yourself a filling and healthy lunch. 

Ingredients:

• Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans - 1 Cup, Cooked 
• Onions - 3 tbsp, finely chopped
• Tomato - 3 tbsp, finely chopped
• Cilantro - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Lemon Juice - a squeeze or two
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp (I used Shan)
• Rock Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp

Soak about half a cup of garbanzo beans overnight. Next day, rinse well and pressure cook the beans with some salt and a cup of water. Drain and transfer to a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl add oil and the rest of the ingredients.Give it a quick whisk. Taste for seasoning. Now pour the mixture into the garbanzo beans bowl and toss nicely. Serve. You can use it as a topping on your cracker as well.

Notes: You can add finely chopped green chilies if you prefer heat.