Our quick and easy kachumber recipe is a perfect antidote to summer heat, flagging spirits, and a tired palate.
Perk up your mood and brighten your meals with this light, fresh, crunchy, cooling, and zesty kachumber salad.
Kachumber, an Indian cucumber salad (with tomato and onion), is the perfect foil to a rich meal, balancing hot and spicy flavours with its own mild and soothing taste and crunchy texture.
Kachumber means cutting into small pieces, and that’s the secret to this delectable yet easy Indian salad recipe.
All you need are the three basic vegetables that make up kachumber salad—cucumber, tomato, and onion—finely diced and seasoned with salt and black pepper powder. The classic Indian salad dressing of green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and lime juice peps up the salad, adding delicious tangy and zesty notes.
Toss well to mix all the ingredients, and that’s it. Kachumber salad is ready. It’s the easiest and quickest salad you will ever make.
Added bonus—it’s healthy and delicious and filling, so it’s ideal for weight watchers. So much so, that in our kitchen, the recipe is filed under nutritious salad recipes Indian and diet salad recipes Indian for easy and frequent access.
The classic combination of cucumber, tomato, and onion in salads is common throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Mediterranean, and many countries have their own variations. Indian kachumber is different because its dressing is oil free. It contains just salt, black pepper, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
This basic everyday kachumber salad is also versatile and open-ended, and you can have as many variations as you like.
Enjoy kachumber salad as an accompaniment or side dish at lunch or dinner. As far as Indian salad recipes go, kachumber is probably the most widely salad eaten across the country, often accompanying dals and vegetables and a must with biryanis. You can also serve it on its own as a filling salad on hot summer days. Or make this cucumber onion salad into a cooling raita by adding some yogurt and stirring it through to mix well. Or as a side with burgers, sandwiches, wraps, burritos, or tacos. Or with hummus and pita bread.
For best results, use the freshest vegetables you can find. Wash all the ingredients thoroughly and chop the onions, cucumber, and tomatoes to the desired size. Do not grate the vegetables. Grated vegetables will release water, resulting in a mushy salad.
Though we prefer to make it fresh, kachumber salad can be prepped ahead of time if you want. Chop all the vegetables but do not toss them until ready to serve. Keep them covered in the refrigerator. Mix just before serving to keep the salad crisp.
To soften the strong flavour of raw onion, soak the chopped onion in water for 15 minutes, drain well, and then add to the salad.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl of non-reactive material like stainless steel, ceramic, glass, or enamel. Cover and chill the kachumber salad for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with a few fresh mint leaves.
Learn how to make kachumber salad with our easy step by step recipe. Find all ingredients and preparation method for healthy kachumber salad at home with quick and easy video instructions from Yummefy recipes.
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