This recipe contains shredded raw mango. If you find getting hold of raw mangoes a challenge then you can easily substitute this with any other crunchy vegetable like radish or jicama. Also, this recipe uses olive oil, which is not a very traditional ingredient in Indian cuisine.
This salad has partially been inspired by the very popular Thai raw mango and papaya salad, but has an interesting twist with selected Indian spices and grains. The bitterness of watercress works well to balance the sourness of the mangoes.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon split black gram (Urad dal)
5 to 6 fresh minced curry leaves
1 fresh green chili pepper, minced
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
One 15 ½ oz (439g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
1 green mango (½ lb/200g) peeled and cut into thin strips
1 bunch watercress
1 apple, cored and cut into thin strips (optional)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Method
• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
• Add the mustard seeds and black gram and sauté for 30 seconds until the mixture splutters, and then add the curry leaves, green chilies and red chili flakes, and sauté for another minute.
• Add the cooked chickpeas and salt and sauté for another minute or 2, and then remove from the heat. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the coconut, mango, Asian pear if using, lemon zest and juice. Toss to mix all the salad ingredients together and check the seasoning.