Indian Peanut Salad

By Supriya
Peanut salad

Indian Peanut Salad

This peanut salad is really more an addictive snack, but I love that it’s called a salad! 🙂 It’s so simple to make, packing in so much flavor and actually, rather healthy too. It is a quintessential tea time (or beer time!) snack.   

It’s a recipe I grew up eating that I especially love because it’s different from what you’d expect Indian food to be. Call it chaat, snack or salad, this dish is a Desi (Indian) favorite that elicits the simplicity of process and complexity of flavors all at the same time. “Chatpata” is one of those untranslatable words that this snack embodies. I could loosely say it means “refreshingly savory and lip smackingly tangy”. It’s simply boiled peanuts with lots of fresh citrus, herbs and tangy spices.

Peanut salad

The peanut salad is great to eat just as is, or with any meal for added texture and freshness.

You can also get creative with building your chaat. For example, today I topped mine with two chutneys: mint & cilantro chutney, tamarind & date chutney, along with a store bought crunchy sev mixture.

I’ll be sharing my recipes for both the chutneys soon. I usually make a large batch that lasts me a couple of weeks:)

Supriya Raman Indian Peanut Salad

Peanut Salad – What you’ll need:

parboiled raw peanuts
finely chopped onions
green bell peppers/ capsicum, finely chopped
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
lemon juice
amchur (raw mango) powder
chaat masala
kaala namak/Indian pink salt

Chaat Masala and Amchur powders are the key ingredients for this salad.
Chaat masala is a blend of specific types of toasted spices. There are several variations, but the most common kind uses cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, carom seeds, kala namak (Indian pink salt), Asafoetida powder, chili powder, dried ginger, dried mint, amchur (green mango powder) and tamarind powder. Chaat Masala is all you need to transform any veggie or fruit into a mouth puckeringly good snack!

Toasting the spices individually adds immense aroma; and in this recipe, the addition of amchur (raw mango powder) adds layers of tangy complexity, and the kala namak adds that quintessential funk in Indian chaat snacks/ street foods. The combination of this all is the definition of umami. IChaat masala and Amchur are both available at most Indian markets. Go get some!

Peanut salad

How to make Peanut Salad

It is important to begin with raw peanuts, because the base of this salad are boiled peanuts.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the raw peanuts in, and let it cook & boil for 20-25 minutes, until boiled perfectly. The peanuts should be soft but not mushy. You should be able to break them easily using your fingers, but they should still retain some texture. I recommend testing at the 15 min mark and continue cooking and testing every few minutes until you get the correct texture.It should take no more than 25 minutes.

Drain and let it cool down until it’s until lukewarm or at room temperature.

Peanut salad

In a large mixing bowl, add onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and all the other spices. Toss in the boiled peanuts and toss together, and it’s done! This is best served after an hour of making it. It gives the ingredients time to marinate and blend the flavors together.

It also makes a great meal prep / make ahead dish. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. THey made a great side dish, snack, salad, or the a great protein element to your lunch or dinner bowls.

Supriya Raman Indian Peanut Salad

Peanut salad

Indian Peanut Salad

Serves: 2 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 3.8/5
( 4 voted )

Ingredients

1 cup parboiled raw peanuts
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup green bell peppers or capsicum, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp amchur (raw mango) powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp kaala namak/Indian pink salt (optional)
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the peanuts in, and let it cook & boil for 20-23 minutes, until boiled perfectly. The peanuts should be soft but not mushy. You should be able to break them easily using your fingers. I recommend testing at the 15 min mark and continue cooking and testing every few minutes until you get the correct texture.It should take no more than 25 minutes.

Drain and let it cool down for 10 minutes, or until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, add onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and all the other ingredients. Toss in the boiled peanuts and toss together, and it's done!

 

Notes

Kaala namak is an acquired taste for sure, so feel free to skip it. However, it is the epitome of Indian chaat/street food.

Did You Make This Recipe?
How did it go with my recipe? Tag me on Instagram at @SupriyaRamanKitchen

If you liked this recipe, also check out

The Best Vegan Chilli Tofu Indo Chinese Style

Easy Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

Best Crispy Cabbage Pakora Pancakes

You can also find more of my creations on Instagram and Pinterest @supriyaramankitchen

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1 comment

Harken's Headers August 31, 2020 - 11:30 am

That looks good

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