Apple Kachumbar is a spin on the regular kachumbar salad that is typically a part of Gujarati thalis. The fruits added to this version add freshness to the salad, at the same time making it incredibly colourful, pretty and flavourful.
This salad came about, some time ago, because I happened to have a few green apples lying around at home, thanks to the bub. The bub has this habit of adding any new veggies or fruits she comes across to my basket while shopping – almost always, she never eats them and I end up trying to figure out innovative ways to use them up. 🙂 It polishes my recipe development skills, for sure, and many of these ‘trials’ have gone on to become favourites at home.
So, here’s presenting Apple Kachumbar, a delicious salad that has now become an almost weekly fixture at our dining table. It is just the perfect summer salad, I say.
Apple Kachumbar – Ingredients Used
Apple salad is mostly made with cheese and walnuts/almonds, but this kachumbar is different. It is big on Indian flavours!
I like using green apples in Apple Kachumbar, fresh and juicy ones that are a good mix of tart and sweet. I also add in some pomegranate arils, apart from the usual suspects in a kachumbar like cucumber, coriander, carrot and onion.
The Apple Kachumbar is flavoured with salt, roasted cumin powder, a dash of lemon juice, red chilli powder and a bit of jaggery powder. It’s an explosion of tastes, honestly.
How to make Apple Kachumbar| Indian Apple Salad
Making Apple Kachumbar is incredibly easy. It takes just a few minutes to whip it up, once you have the ingredients prepped and ready.
Here’s how to put the salad together.
Ingredients (serves 2):
1. 1 medium-sized green apple
2. Juice from 1/2 lemon or to taste
3. 1 small cucumber
4. 1 small onion
5. Arils from a small pomegranate
6. 1 small carrot
7. A handful of fresh coriander
8. Salt to taste
9. 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin (jeera) powder
11. 3/4 teaspoon jaggery powder or to taste
Method:
1. Cut the green apple and remove the core. Chop finely. Transfer the chopped apple to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add a dash of lemon juice to the apple and mix well. This will stop the apple pieces from getting brown.
3. Chop the cucumber and onion finely and add to the mixing bowl. Add the pomegranate arils too.
4. Peel the carrot and grate it medium-thick. Chop the coriander finely. Add these to the mixing bowl as well.
5. Add in salt to taste, red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder and jaggery powder. Mix well.
6. Taste and adjust the lemon juice as needed. Mix up all the ingredients well. Your Apple Kachumbar is ready. Serve immediately.
Dietary guidelines
This Apple Kachumbar recipe is completely vegetarian.
It is also vegan, suitable to people following a plant-based diet.
It is gluten-free as well.
There is no oil used in this salad, but there is a small amount of jaggery powder included. You may omit the jaggery powder in case you have dietary restrictions – check the Tips and Tricks section of this post for details.
Tips & Tricks
1. I have used a nice, juicy green apple here. If you don’t have one, you can use a red apple instead. Use a crisp variety of apple that is a good mix of sweet and sour, like Royal Gala or Pink Lady.
2. Sometimes, apples tend to be quite sour. In that case, adjust the quantity of lemon juice and jaggery powder accordingly. You may omit the jaggery powder altogether if the apple is not too sour.
3. Jaggery powder is nothing but powdered jaggery, which is commonly available in several departmental stores here in Bangalore. Alternatively, you could use powdered sugar. Honey can also be used as a substitute for the jaggery – however, avoid this if you would like to make the salad vegan.
4. Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder and salt as per personal taste preferences. You can add a dash of chaat masala and/or black salt too, which will make the salad taste more like a chaat. Green chillies can be used in place of the red chilli powder, but I prefer the latter.
5. Use the freshest of ingredients in the salad, for the best texture and taste.
6. I have not peeled the apple and cucumber here. You may do so if you prefer it that way, but I personally think that keeping the skin on adds a beautiful texture to the salad.
7. To make the roasted cumin powder – dry roast a handful of cumin seeds on a hot pan, on medium flame, till they get nice and fragrant. Make sure they do not get burnt. When done, transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool down completely. Then, grind the cumin seeds coarsely in a small mixer jar. I make this roasted cumin powder periodically in small batches, store it in a dry air-tight bottle, and use it as needed.
8. You may add other fruits and vegetables of your preference to this Apple Kachumbar. Tomatoes and seedless grapes would make great additions, for instance. We prefer adding only the ingredients in the recipe mentioned above.
9. Use a cucumber with very few seeds, for best results. This kind of cucumber is also referred to as ‘English cucumber’ or ‘seedless cucumber’ in local parlance.
10. Do make sure you serve the Apple Kachumbar immediately after preparing it. The apples tend to darken slightly if you keep the salad lying around for some time.
Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!
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