Chickpea Salad (II)

I was planning on making my chickpea salad again when I noticed that I only had 1 can of chickpeas left in our pantry. So instead of running to the store to get another one, I just substituted the other can for a (540 ml) can of six bean medley (no salt added) and it came out as good as my original chick pea salad, if not better.

Let’s get to it!

CHICKPEA SALAD (II)

Ingredients:

• 1 (540 ml) can of chick peas
• 1 (540 ml) can of six bean medley
• 1 large cucumber, unpeeled and diced
• 1 red mango, cut in small pieces
• 2-3 ripe avocados, cut in chunks
• 2 Roma tomatoes, cut in chucks
• 1 small onion, diced
• A bunch of cilantro, minced
• Dried chives (optional)
• Dried parsley (optional)
• Lime juice
• Olive oil (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Drain and rinse the cans of chickpeas and beans and put them in a salad bowl.

2. Add the rest of the fruits/vegetables.

3. Toss in lime juice and olive oil.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the salad.

5. Sprinkle dried chives and parsley on top.

TIPS: If you don’t like the taste of cilantro, you can definitely omit it. I have made this salad without it because I don’t normally have cilantro in our fridge. And it still tastes wonderful! This salad is very flexible.

You can substitute the ingredients to pretty much whatever is available in your fridge and pantry, and whatever suits your palate. Just make sure you don’t leave the chickpeas out all together or it won’t be a chickpea salad anymore. Lol! But feel free to make it your own!).

If you decide to add ripe avocados, make sure it’s still firm to touch or it will easily turn into a mush once you start mixing your salad. Nothing wrong with it being mushy and all. It’s just not going to look as pretty. Or you can add them later when you are done mixing your dressing with the salad, just before adding your garnish).

For a more appetizing look (and added flavour), I garnished it again with chives and parsley.

You can definitely serve this salad with any kinds of meat! For this variation, I paired it with tiger shrimp cooked in butter and garlic, and pan fried chicken drumsticks.

Enjoy! 😉

Disclaimer: I don’t normally use measuring spoons/cups when I cook. Unless I’m baking of course. Cooking is more of an art. So when I cook, I usually just eyeball things. The key is to taste your food while you cook, and adjust your spices as your taste buds dictate. What maybe sweet for me, may not be the case for you. Hence, the lack of measurements on my recipes. I will leave that up to you. All the necessary ingredients (and tips!) however will be provided.

Happy experimenting cooking!

<3 Zhi