Are you familiar with the Vacation Food Phenomenon? It’s a term I just made up to describe this curiosity: Any food eaten on vacation tastes better than the same or equivalent food eaten back home.
Am I right?!
Back in September, I visited Vancouver and had the most amazing salad, courtesy of Vij’s Railway Express food truck. It was delicious – and I can only partially attribute that to the Vacation Food Phenomenon. The locals seemed equally smitten with this Indian food truck’s offerings.
Like any good food blogger, I had to recreate this inspiring salad when I got back home. I stuck to ingredients that I already had on hand to save on cost, and ended up with a salad that tasted quite a bit like the original – if my memory serves me correctly.
This was the original salad (below). For authenticity, feel free to add some sliced red onion, fresh peas, and puffed rice. I left those ingredients out so I could use what I already had on hand in the kitchen (and to save some money, of course!)
Like foods flavored with Indian spices? Me too! Check out this Indian-spiced bar mix that I made earlier this year.
And while you’re here, don’t forget to follow Cheap Recipe Blog on Pinterest. Let’s stay in touch!
Indian-Spiced Chickpea and Peanut Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 20 min
For a main course-worthy salad, add some grilled chicken and naan bread on the side.
Ingredients:
For salad:
Coconut oil, for frying
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 red pepper, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
For dressing:
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons garam masala (or other Indian spice mix)Lime wedges, for serving
Directions:
Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until chickpeas turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Wipe out skillet.
Heat another tablespoon of coconut oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanuts and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until peanuts are lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place chickpeas and peanuts in a bowl and toss with curry powder. Place on a serving platter. Top with red pepper and scallions.
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously, until well combined. Pour dressing over salad. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
