Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Quinoa , a tiny high protein grain from South America  is seen in many Indian Kitchens nowadays. Though I don't use it regularly in my kitchen, I try to make some attractive dishes using this grain. One of my favourite quinoa recipe is this colourful quinoa salad. To add to its richness, I have added some chick peas to the salad.

It can be a perfect meal for any time of the day with a side of Masala Chas / Buttermilk. Due to its crunchy, spicy taste and excellent aroma, even salad haters could have a plate of this salad as it swings away from the blandness side. Also its not cold like a regular green salad. 

Ingredients

Cooked Quinoa -   2 Cups
Cooked Chickpeas -  1 Cup
Shredded Red Onion - 1/2 cup
Finely Shredded Green Chillies - 1 tbsp
Finely crushed garlic - 2 tsp
Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup
Grated Beetroot - 1/2 cup
Tiny tomato pieces - 1/2 cup
Red chili powder / Paprika - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Shredded Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil - 3 tsp

Method

• Cook the quinoa, chickpeas using the regular cooking method. For cooking a cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water. On medium heat, cook the quinoa for around 15 minutes till it gets fluffy.
• For cooking the chickpeas, soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook them for 4-5 whistles. 
• Grate the vegetables and keep all the ingredients ready.
• In the cooking pan / kadai, add oil first. Then, add the crushed garlic, onion, green chillies one by one and fry them till the raw smell goes away.
• To the pan, add the cooked chickpeas and the powders and mix them well.
• Add the cooked quinoa along with the grated vegetables. Add required amount of salt into the pan.
• Switch off the flame. Turn the salad upside down and squeeze little lemon juice over the top.
• Mix them well and transfer the salad into the serving bowl.

Tips / Suggestions

Do not overcook the chickpeas as it gets mushy, making it difficult to be added in the salad.Similarly, cook the quinoa till they get fluffy. You can customize the spice level to your taste. Do customize as you like and enjoy in the summer.