Kachumber recipe is an Indian salad recipe which is regularly prepared in Indian households. It is a straightforward salad recipe where onion, tomato, and cucumber are diced and mixed with lemon juice, herbs, pepper and salt. It is a healthy, vegan-friendly and oil-free salad recipe which is used as a staple with Indian meals. This onion tomato cucumber salad is served with rice & curries, kebab, spicy food and even in restaurants with starters and buffet meals.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
How to make Kachumber (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Kachumber?
There is no trend of eating salad in Indian cuisine like in Western countries. Kachumber is the only Indian salad recipe which is frequently prepared and served with Indian meals and starters. The word kachumber means mince. In short, kachumber salad is a combination of minced vegetables. It is also known as Kosambari in South India.
The USP of the Indian salad
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
The best part about the kachumber recipe is that it requires no salad dressing. This salad recipe is completely oil-free and not even any mayonnaise or cream is added to it. It makes this salad healthier and a great option for those with high cholesterol.
Just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper is used as the dressing for the salad. The addition of lemon juice gives a tangy touch with a refreshing flavour. The addition of salt gives a salty touch to the salad and pepper adds flavour and mild heat to the salad.
As an Indian, I have grown up eating this delight. The addition of salad makes the meal healthier and yummier. My mom always used to say that eating fresh vegetables is a good practice which improves our digestion system and gives us better skin. I still remember how she used to prepare a large bowl of salad during summer days and serve it with our meals.
The Kachumber recipe is a crunchy, flavoured Indian salad recipe where onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, green chillies, and coriander leaves are chopped and mixed together with salt, black pepper powder and fresh lemon juice.
But there is no hard and fast rule applicable to the recipe. You can use cayenne or pepper instead of green chillies. You can use mint leaves as well to make the salad more flavourful. You can also use seasonal vegetables. During summer days, you can add green mangoes and in winter, radish and carrots can also be added. It is completely up to you.
Kachumber is a simple and easy recipe. It requires only a few ingredients to prepare the dish and all are easily available in the market. The difficulty level of cooking this dish is low and a perfect no-cook recipe for novices.
Kachumber recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the recipe.
How to serve Kachumber
The texture of onion tomato cucumber salad is crunchy and juicy, overloaded with flavours which go amazing with hot and spicy food. It can be served with grilled meat or fish, spicy kebabs, masala rice etc. It can also be served with burgers, wraps and as a dip for papadums, nachos etc. In fact, in many places, this salad is served with meals.
Ingredients for Kachumber
Onion: It is an important ingredient of the recipe which adds sharp taste, flavour and texture to the dish.
Tomato: Another important ingredient of the recipe which adds a tangy and sweet taste with a juicy texture to the salad.
Cucumber: One more important ingredient of the recipe which adds a crunchy texture to the dish.
Coriander leaves: It gives a nice refreshing flavour to the dish.
Green chillies: The addition of green chillies gives a heaty taste to the dish. You can adjust the amount according to your preference.
Lemon juice: It adds tanginess and a refreshing taste to the dish.
Salt & pepper: Salt adds a basic savoury taste to the dish and black pepper powder adds taste and flavour to the dish.
How to make Kachumber?
To prepare kachumber, first peel the onions, cucumber and wash them nicely and keep them aside. Then wash the tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves, green chillies, lemon and keep them aside.
Now, it’s time to chop all the veggies evenly one by one. You can cut them into small pieces or in julienne shape.
Take a bowl and add the chopped cucumber into it.
Then add the onions, tomatoes, green chillies, and coriander leaves, one by one into the bowl.
Now add some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Make sure no pulps and seeds are there.
Add salt, black pepper powder into the bowl and mix them with a spoon or fork. Now the Kachumber is ready to serve. Serve it immediately for better taste or else it will become watery.
Many Indian food recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check a few of them like
Bhelpuri
Cucumber raita
Masala papad
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
- 1 small red Onion, small diced
- 100 grams or 1 cup Cucumber, small diced
- 1 large Tomato, small diced
- 1-2 green Chillies, chopped
- 4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice or ½ Lemon, freshly squeezed juice
- ¼ teaspoon black Pepper powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- First peel the onions, cucumber and wash them nicely and keep them aside. Then wash the tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves, green chillies, lemon and keep them aside.
- Now chop all the veggies evenly one by one. You can cut them into small pieces or in julienne shape.
- Take a bowl and add the chopped cucumber into it.
- Add the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves, one by one into the bowl.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Make sure no pulps and seeds are there.
- Add salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder into the bowl and mix them with a spoon or fork.
- Now the kachumber is ready to serve.
Serving Instruction
Serve the kachumber immediately after preparing. Enjoy the healthy salivating salad with your meal or as a dip with papadums.
Ingredients
- 1 small red Onion, small diced
- 100 grams or 1 cup Cucumber, small diced
- 1 large Tomato, small diced
- 1-2 green Chillies, chopped
- 4 tablespoons Coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice or ½ Lemon, freshly squeezed juice
- ¼ teaspoon black Pepper powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- First peel the onions, cucumber and wash them nicely and keep them aside. Then wash the tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves, green chillies, lemon and keep them aside.
- Now chop all the veggies evenly one by one. You can cut them into small pieces or in julienne shape.
- Take a bowl and add the chopped cucumber into it.
- Add the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and coriander leaves, one by one into the bowl.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Make sure no pulps and seeds are there.
- Add salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder into the bowl and mix them with a spoon or fork.
- Now the kachumber is ready to serve.
