This salad is so friggin delicious and it has almost no fat in it!!! The only fat can be found in the chickpeas which have 12 grams per cup. It is a great salad if you are trying to lose weight. My friend, Robert, made this salad regularly and ate it for lunch and supper (he added chicken at supper) for one month and he lost 30 pounds. No joke. So, there are many reasons to try it but the most important reason is because it is so yummy. 

There is one catch. You have to make "burnt cumin seeds." I'm sure they have a more attractive name but I don't know it. This picture shows the difference between the untouched cumin seeds and the ones I have burnt. A cast iron pan would work best but make due with what you have. Heat the pan and add about 1/2 cup of cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to get very dark in colour while stirring them. When they are dark brown - black, slide them onto a cutting board. Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, begin rolling the seeds. Build them up into a little pile and gradually work your rolling pin up the hill. Continue doing this for a few minutes until about half the mixture is powder.  Place in an airtight jar.

The rest of the ingredients are very simple.

Punjabi Chickpea Salad
aka - Robert's Salad
1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 lemons juiced
1 large tomato chopped
½ cucumber chopped
½ onion diced
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (use your own preference with this)
2 tsp of black cumin seeds
3 tsp of chat masala (National/Shan/Kissan)
1/2 tsp of salt 

Mix it all together and eat like there is no tomorrow. If you want this to last many days in the fridge, don't add the cilantro and tomatoes until ready to eat. 

Thank you Manju for another incredible recipe!

Thai feast with my family tonight and making a favourite - cashew chicken. This is a great dish to make if you are having guests because the flavours are mild yet rich and the combination of veggies and chicken make it a well rounded meal. 

This recipe will feed a crowd. You need a really large fry pan or wok to cook it. I do everything in batches earlier in the day then cook all together later.

Tossing the chicken in cornstarch and pepper is an added step which you could skip if in a rush. It adds texture to your chicken.

Leave the green onions til the end so they are still fresh and crisp. I also cook the peppers just a little because they can so easily be overcooked.

Cashew Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
3 peppers cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion cut into bite size pieces
~15 mushrooms cut into quarters
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 bundle of green onions chopped (~6)
1 cup of unsalted cashews
1 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup + 2 tsp of cornstarch
4 tbsp of oyster sauce
5 tbsp of soya sauce
1/4 cup of veg oil
pepper
​3 - 4 dried chillies (optional)

Heat 2 tbsp of oil over a medium - high heat. Toss the chicken in 1/4 cup of cornstarch so well coated. Fry in batches so browned on all sides and remove to a paper towel. Continue cooking the chicken in batches, adding oil each time. When all the chicken is cooked, add more oil and cook the mushrooms, in batches. Do the same with the onion. When you cook the peppers, just cook them for a minute or two because they can quickly overcook. If your cashews are raw, throw them in for a few minutes as well, no oil is needed for them but if there is some in the pan already then that is fine.

Mix together oyster sauce, soya sauce, 1/2 cup of chicken broth and some pepper together in a bowl.

​Heat 2 tbsp of oil in fry pan over medium heat. Throw in garlic and let cook for a minute. Add all the veggies, chillies and chicken. Toss to combine. Add the oyster sauce mixture and let cook for a few minutes. Add the cashews and green onions and toss to combine. Mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with the other 1/2 cup of chicken broth and add to the fry pan. Toss well and let the mixture thicken. Turn off the heat. If too thick, add a little more broth. Taste test.