Indian Kachumber Salad (Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad)

4.88 from 24 votes

Indian Kachumber Salad (Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad)

Sweet tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and piquant onions form the basis of this simple Kachumber salad recipe that goes well with almost any Indian dish. If you love having some fresh, raw veggies with your meals, try this easy and delicious Indian staple.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Easy

Servings:

Calories: 33kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

⅓ cup onions - chopped, or 1 small to medium onion
½ cup tomatoes - chopped or 1 medium tomato
½ cup cucumber - peeled and chopped, or 1 small to medium-sized cucumber
1 tablespoon mint leaves - chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves chopped , (cilantro)
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice or as needed
½ to 1 teaspoon green chilies - chopped or ½ teaspoon chopped serrano or jalapeno - optional
¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder or ground cumin
2 to 3 pinches black salt - optional
salt or food grade, edible rock salt or pink salt as required
2 to 3 lemon wedges - for garnish, optional
4 to 5 mint leaves sprigs - for garnish, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep Veggies

Rinse, pat dry, peel, and chop the cucumber. Rinse, wipe dry and chop tomatoes. Peel onions and rinse them.
Chop the veggies including green chillies if using.
Rinse the coriander and mint leaves very well. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or dry the herbs in a salad spinner.

Make Kachumber salad

Transfer the chopped veggies in a bowl.
Add the chopped green chillies, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder or ground cumin.
Add coriander leaves and mint leaves. Sprinkle with black salt if using and regular white salt or pink salt.
Drizzle lemon juice.
Mix and toss the salad well so that the ingredients are mixed evenly.
Check the seasoning and add more salt or lemon juice, according to your preferences.
Serve the kachumber salad straightaway.

Serving Suggestions

Kachumber pairs well with any Indian meal. It brings in a lot of freshness not only to your meal but also to your palate and you will definitely enjoy eating it.
Serve kachumber salad with some lentils and rice or roti, a vegetable pulao, any Indian vegetarian curry or gravy paired with bread or rice or naan.

Storage

Kachumber tastes best when eaten as soon as it is made. If you keep it sitting for few hours, it becomes slightly watery due to the vegetables leaving their juices when mixed with salt.
If at all you have any leftovers, keep in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and try to eat it on the same day.

Notes

Veggie variations: Add any delicious, crunchy veggies you like. Grated or finely chopped carrots or grated radish, blanched cabbage, blanched or boiled peas, steamed corn or blanched green beans are some of my favorites. I recommend to grate or shred veggies like carrots, radish, cabbage and beets. I also suggest to blanch cabbage.
Spice variations: Include some freshly cracked black pepper in place of red chilli powder. You can also add a few pinches of ground turmeric.
Add ins: If you fancy some nuts, add in some roasted peanuts or sesame seeds. Roasted peanuts bring in good crunchy texture and taste to the salad. I also add seeds like roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flaxseed meal and nutritional yeast to make the salad more healthy.
Make ahead: If you need to get ahead with your meal prep, feel free to chop the veggies in advance except the onions, herbs and keep them in the refrigerator without adding the lemon juice or salt. They should stay well in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Scaling: You could easily make a big batch of this recipe for pot-lucks or small parties.

Nutrition