Chickpea, mango and coconut salad (sundal)

Serves 4

Sundal is a street food snack and salad from Tamil Nadu. Other than chickpeas, this snack can be made with boiled peanuts, dried green peas or any other bean.

When raw mango is not in season, various other fruits can be used instead, such as papaya. In Chennai this is a perennially popular snack on the beach.

250g chickpeas, soaked and cooked or good quality canned
2tbsp freshly grated coconut
Half a firm mango, peeled & cut into thin strips
1 green chilli, finely chopped
The juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
1tbsp chopped coriander
A few sprigs of coriander

For the seasoning:

2tsp ground nut oil
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp black gram lentils (optional)
1 dried red chilli
1tsp curry leaves, chopped (these are not always easy to find, but you can buy them fresh or dried from some Indian supermarkets)
1/4tsp asafoetida

Heat the groundnut oil in a pan then add the black lentils & mustard seeds, when they begin to pop stir in the red chilli, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the chickpeas and cook on a low heat for 4-5 minutes. Leave to cool, then toss with all the other ingredients. Scatter with sprigs of coriander.