Garbanzo Chaat Salad
Photo: Carolina Ayala / Contributor
The season for spring mangoes in Texas has arrived. Despite the roller coaster of hot and cold days in the past few weeks, the Atulfo variety of mango has made its journey from Mexico and are available all over town. The Farmer’s Market on Airline Boulevard has dozens of boxes stacked against store walls, from raw to ripe stages. They are sweet and smooth and the perfect addition to a chaat salad. Chaats are the spicy, savory, crunchy and slightly sweet street snacks of India and can be easily turned into salads. The garbanzo beans are seasoned to a spicy richness with cumin, black pepper, ginger and asafetida and then added to the salad. They are a wonderful staple to keep in your refrigerator and can be used in a multitude of ways – eaten just on their own for a midnight savory craving, added to a rice pilaf, tossed into a salad or a curry, with plain yogurt drizzled over them. Or with chopped herbs and tomatoes on top with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.