My words his experiences.
“I first ate this version of the salad at a festival in my neighbor’s house. The simplest way to describe that festival is ‘a doll festival‘(GOLU). They keep miniature idols of GOD, and dolls of mythological characters on tiny steps made of wood. The dolls would’ve been collected over many years, received as gifts, and also inherited from parents and grandparents. Ladies get together, sing, pray, and give this salad in mini bowls to guests.
College days were fun. Going to the beach with my guy friends was an experience. Chennai(in the southern part of India) has some of the nicest beaches. We watched kids playing, moms and dads watching over the kids, and couples walking hand in hand. It truly was a sight.
Apart from all of that, beach food was awesome. It consisted of sliced raw mangoes smeared in salt and chili powder, roasted puffed rice, tea sold in aluminum cans, and this SALAD(Sundal). Small boys carrying baskets with this warm salad, shouting out ‘sundal,sundal’ (which meant ‘salad-salad’). We got our salad all wrapped up in a cone made of recycled newspaper. NEAT, huh?
WARM Salad in one hand and the cool sea breeze made us think of one thing. That was one serious issue which seemed to bother us then. HOW in the world do those college boys find beautiful girls? Well,any girl for that matter. We were here sitting, 12 boys men with not one of us dating or one of us having even plans of dating. Looking at them was nice but also filled us with some sort of angst.
So many memories, the same food.”
This is a warm cooked salad which is very popular among South Indians, who probably have 1000 different ways of making it. Sauteed onions, with spicy chili, ginger/garlic paste tossed in with beans, some pomegranate seeds all make for a filling and a great side.
This is my mom’s version, quite popular among our friends and family. My hubby, who has those memories linked to this dish, says “This is the best,I wish I could have one cone, share it with you, walk on a beach and make other men filled with angst.”
Ingredients:
3 cups of Garbanzo beans cooked
1/2 cup boiled peanuts
4 green chilies
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate
1/2 fresh grated coconut or frozen
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chopped cilantro/dill/ parsley
Method:
1. Grind green chilies, garlic and ginger to a semi smooth paste.
2. You can cook garbanzo beans and peanuts together with some salt.
3. In a large pan, add oil. Once the oil gets a little hot, add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop.
4. Add sliced onion to the oil and fry for a minute.
5. Add the green chili,ginger/garlic paste and fry on medium temperature until the raw smell of the garlic vanishes, do not burn.
6. Add the garbanzo beans, peanuts and mix well.
7. Add the coconut, cilantro and pomegranate and toss well and serve hot or cold.
ENJOY!
Note:You can use canned beans, just making sure to rinse it off with hot water very well before using.
This travels very well, but remember to add coconut in the last moment as it can go rancid.
Toss it in with some brown rice and you have a meal.
Ash – Your story of the beach and beach food brought back memories for me … I remember my mom and dad getting us a peanut salad wrapped up in newspaper like your chickpea salad was!
This one with the pomegranates and peanuts sounds incredible – what a flavor burst in each bite! Thanks so much for sharing this one and the memories 🙂
Well, your husband scored a knockout girl that’s for sure! He’s very lucky. This salad looks so wonderful! I was never allowed to eat anything wrapped in paper from the streets when we visited Hyderabad for holidays. I sometimes feel robbed of that experience , but I know my parents were just stopping me from getting sick.
I love the garbanzo salads, and this one is no exception,
Nazneen
I would love a walk on the beach with a cone filled to the top with this salad. So delicious looking, and love the wonderful story filled with great memories!
This is my kind of healthy and delicious lunch salad!
healthy yet delicious looking salad, try it out very soon!
What gorgeous beach memories! It’s the carefree fun of youth isn’t it! 😀
A fabulous combination! Totally my kind of salad. Those pictures are wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
that plate of salad is really tempting… just like you say, eating food from the road sides from back home is an experience in itself, irrespective of whether you get sick or no…
Wonderful salad there. I too add pomegranates to my garbanzo bean salad. It gives a nice tangy sweet flavor.
New lesson from Ms Asha – boiling peanuts. It never occurred to me that you can do such a thing. Yet, peanuts are legumes (as chickpeas or lentils)…I feel like I’m the slow in the class every time I visit your blog.
BTW great flavor combination, this salad looks really tasty!
Nice twist to the Sundal. I love the addition of Pomegranate to it
Shema | LifeScoops
Healthful and beautiful salad – the colors with the garbanzos/chickpeas & pomegranate are so pretty! Like the presentation in the paper cone. 🙂
this look wonderful I love garbanzos so much!!
@Sashi- some memories can’t be recreated right..sighs
@Nazneen- (grinning here), you made my day a very very happy one.
@Marcie-my hubby did have a great time, he says his college days were the best..
@Lorraine- yes is for sure..
@Rosa-thanks always for you kind comments.
@Rafeeda-thanks jaan
What a beautiful salad! love it!
@Mike-‘this is my experience from my school/college days, the friends who said, they didn’t study or were slow always were the smartest:)..but hey, how can I not accept your compliment.
The kind of food I am up for these days!
A very healthy salad recipe. Looks inviting
I remember eating something similar wrapped in paper – good times 🙂 I got pomegranate from the farmers market recently – will have to make this soon 🙂
your stories took me back to my childhood days. We would spend our summer vacation in mUmbai @ my mama’s place..
I just love your photography
What a lovely story, Ash! My favorite part is the sweet quote from your hubby. And, this salad? I need it in my life ASAP! Thank you for sharing, my friend. xo
beautiful post. the wrapped cone with salad brought back childhood memories. I have not had this version of chickpead salad but it looks very interesting and something new to try
http://goodeatstostyle.blogspot.com/
I am in love with your space ! New follower here !
The wrapped newspaper cone brings back lot of childhood memories.. Adding poemgranate is interesting.. Love your version of salad..
Such a gorgeous looking salad and I’m sure it tastes wonderful too.
Love the background story as well ,such fun and great memories!
Beautiful story and a gorgeous salad to go with it!
I was wondering what the white stuff was, totally thought it was feta… but it’s coconut. This looks so delicious, never seen a salad like this before.
This is my favorite too and your story sure brought back some memories 🙂 thank you Ash for sharing the recipe
Juhu beach in Mumbai was close by from college – many walks on the beach at odd hours of the day and lots of friendship pacts made while the waves hit us. Life was so different.
The best part of beach was also all the food you go there, lots of pav bhaji, chaat and the black chana sundal – back then I didn’t know they called it that.
Your sundal looks amazing – love the pomegranate addition – you always have a brilliant twist to every recipe. The pics are just so gorgeous!!
In Indian families, sundal is so well known, for festivals and every other holy occasions. The merge of pomegranate certainly takes on the taste of sundal to another level. Great and lovely stuff.
You know me a food critic of all times. I am sure this is an excellent snack around the beach but you made it too neat for me to eat :-).
Shek
Just mouthwatering…looks delicious!
Thank you my friends.
@Shekhar my dear, I don’t know what I would do without your criticing…you bring the best out of me.xxx
I have had this at festivals in India! Thanks for the reminder, will try it out soon. I think the pomegranates are a great touch.
This is gorgeous! Definitely going to check out the recipe and put it on this season’s appetizer list!
Now this is the kind of food I’d want to eat at the beach. Instead, the states seem to have an abundance of fatty and fried food. So beautiful with the pomegranate arils.
I need to start going to the beach where you go because this looks amazing! I haven’t had chickpeas in many varieties but I love how unique all your dishes are. Thank you for posting this.
oh i love your story about the beach! it brought back similar memories of when i was young with the boys 🙂 and this salad looks incredible! also this- “sliced raw mangoes smeared in salt and chili powder”- sounds delicious too!!
:)…I am sure the beach was fun. My hubby sure loved his experiences….I have never been a big of the beach though…:(.
It is amazing how much we connect food with memories! This is a beautiful salad and I love all the different ingredients it consists of!
I love the sweet savory peanuttiness in this salad! I can see myself eating this for lunch on a daily basis.
protein rich and guilt free snack
Terrific dish! Love all of the flavors. And a great story. Thanks.
I have tried sundal before and I really like you added the pomegranate – looks like jewel in the salad!
Perfect and delicious combo!
I love Garbanzo beans so I love this recipe. I could totally eat this for a snack any time of the day too!
What a scrumptious salad, Ash! It looks absolutely delicious and so colorful. Thanks for sharing this recipe, and your lovely stories.
This is such a sweet post, made me smile 🙂 Love the recipe.
Oh wow, I know I would totally love this salad. I have never had boiled peanuts before but chick peas I also keep in my pantry. It is one of my favorite legumes. Great pictures. If I have come to San Fran again I will sure to let you know so that you can give me a tutorial on how to take awesome food picts 🙂
I love warm salads – and good food in general, especially when they conjure up good memories like this does for you guys.
Wow…What a gorgeous warm salad, Ash! A dish to remember for sure!
There is this restaurant I LOVEEEEE and they pan sautee/fry their garbonzo beans – with salt… YUM!!!! 😀
Love simple, yummy and refreshing sundal recipes. This is scrumptious 🙂
This sounds like a delicious salad, colorful and so different.
Your version of kadalai sundal looks delicious love addition of peanut and pomegrante in there.
Your Mom’s version of this Salad is THE best, I can tell as it was certified by your hubby; husbands never lie about Mom-in-laws, do they? 😀
Loved everything about this post- beach snacking…
And your unbelievably beautiful photos gave me splitting headache, tremendous heartache. (No kidding!)
MMM this is definitely a salad right up my alley! Love it!
Thanks all.
@Miriam- you are sweet, can’t wait for you to visit here..we could talk about everything..xxx
@Nusrat-:)xoxo and hubbies are too sweet..
@Kristi- you gotto visit sometime, we are miles away..should catchup.
Super Asha, very healthymlovely and colorful salad, I love the way you made pottalam in paper, very beautiful….
Loved ur cute beach story, brings back so many memories….
What a gorgeous and healthy salad!
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My recipe.. and very healthy one also.. my husband and kids love to have these kind of foods, hot hot.. I usually make this a bit spicy added coconut and green masala…with spinach… In kerala we have something of the same king with green peas near beach sides.. it would taste wonderful…
Oh!! ur pics are soo good….want to know whether u do any editing or which photo editor do u use…
Nice recipe.. awesome clicks.. altogether. u made my day….
Hope u have a check on my blog too… if u get time.. and suggest on what should i improve on in my blog..
My blog: http://abowlofcurry.blogspot.in
@Sowmyan- thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate the time you took to write. I did message you the details of the editor and what camera I use.
Yups!!! I didn’t receive your message Asha
Thanks
Preetha
This looks amazing! I’ve been craving pomegranate lately. Maybe I should get a few and make this salad with one of them!
This looks absolutely delicious! Will be making it this evening. I love how healthy it is just like most Indian food!
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