Kachumber Salad (Indian Kachumber salad)

Quick answer

Total time: 12 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Kachumber salad finely dices cucumber, tomato, and red onion, then tosses them with chopped cilantro, lime juice, ground cumin, chaat masala, and salt in a quick Indian raw vegetable preparation.

Removing some of the seeds from the cucumber and tomato limits excess moisture so the dressing stays concentrated rather than watery. Soaking the diced red onion in cold water for three minutes draws out its harsh sharpness, letting it blend more smoothly with the other ingredients. Ground cumin lays down a warm, earthy undertone, and chaat masala layers a tangy, salty complexity over the lime acidity, lifting a simple combination of vegetables into something distinctly Indian. Chopping cilantro stems together with the leaves releases more of the herb's aromatic oils than leaves alone provide. Letting the dressed salad rest for about fifteen minutes before serving allows the flavors to meld so the final result is noticeably more cohesive.

Ingredients (2 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
cucumber	180	g
tomato	160	g
red onion	70	g
cilantro	15	g
lime juice	1.5	tbsp
ground cumin	0.5	tsp
chaat masala	0.5	tsp
salt	0.3	tsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Season

Rinse 180 g cucumber and 160 g tomato, then dry them well.

Scoop out some of the seed-heavy centers with a spoon so the salad stays crisp and the lime dressing does not turn watery.
2

Season

Dice the cucumber and tomato into small pieces, about 5 mm if possible.

Keeping the pieces similar in size helps the lime juice, cumin, and chaat masala coat everything evenly.
3

Prep

Finely chop 70 g red onion and soak it in cold water for 3 minutes.

Drain it in a sieve, but do not squeeze hard, so it loses harshness while keeping a clean, crisp texture.
4

Season

Finely chop 15 g cilantro, using the leaves and tender stems together.

Discard any thick or tough stem sections, because they can make the raw salad feel coarse instead of fresh.
5

Season

In a large bowl, first mix 1.5 tablespoons lime juice, 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin, 0.5 teaspoon chaat masala, and 0.3 teaspoon salt.

Stir until the salt starts dissolving before adding the vegetables.
6

Finish

Add the prepared vegetables and cilantro, then toss gently from the bottom upward.

Let the salad rest for about 15 minutes, toss once more if juices collect, and serve it cool while the vegetables still have bite.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Kachumber Salad accents diced vegetables with earthy cumin and sour-salty chaat masala spice.
Finish cue: Finely chop 15 g cilantro, using the leaves and tender stems together.
Avoid this: Drain it in a sieve, but do not squeeze hard, so it loses harshness while keeping a clean, crisp texture.