Layered Garbanzo Beans and Paneer Salad

This is a tasty and refreshing salad with a lip-smacking dressing. This is also a balanced salad making it a complete meal. The sprouts, garbanzos and paneer give essential proteins and some carbs, potatoes add carbs, and the veggies complete the nutrition palette. This salad is based on Indian street food commonly called as chaat. Chaat includes a few comforting ingredients with a little spice powders that gives piquant flavor and lip-smacking spicy and sweet chutney and this is the dressing for the salad. This is very easy to make, just gather the ingredients, layer them, and drizzle the dressing. Also, this can feed a crowd. Stack the layers of ingredients in a beautiful arrangement and with the dressing this is the most comforting, lip-smacking, and scrumptious salad to enjoy with the family and friends.

Don't you agree that layered salads are fun? Than just serving everything mixed in a bowl, when it is layered, it just attracts everyone. It makes the entire feast special! It can change the entire setting of the table,  from a simple to an amazing one just with the layered presentation. This salad is like that. This can be made in triffle stands, or any bowl, or even in a mason jar.

All you need for the layers are: lettuce, boiled potatoes, cooked garbanzos, paneer, cucumber, onion, tomatoes sprouts, chaat masala and peanuts. Kochumber (or Indian style salad with tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers) can be made instead and added as a layer. That would add tons of flavor. Any lettuce can be used. I like to use iceberg or romaine lettuce. Sprouts are very healthy, provide nutrition, and are easy digestible. I make my own. Store-bought sprouts can also be used.

For the dressing you will need  sweet chutney, cilantro-mint chutney (green chutney), lemon/lime juice, yogurt, and chaat masala. Yogurt adds to creaminess and enhances the flavor. The chutneys can be homemade or store-bought. You can find in any Indian grocery shop in jam and/or pickle aisle or in freezer section. 

Sev (thin garbanzo flour fritters), chopped cilantro, mint, and a little chaat masala are used as garnish. If you don't have sev, thin tortilla strips or crushed tortilla or pita chips can be used for the crunch. Chaat masala is available in Indian groceries. It is mix of spices and black salt giving the pungent, piquant, and refreshing taste.

Salads are always my favorite and often try varied ones to make my family too enjoy it. This is one such salad that our family loves. Fruits and veggies always add to complete nutrition and the best way to have them is by making salads. Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventure is hosting an event "Layering Up Salad". We are sharing layered salads today in our #FromOurDinnerTable group. We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Here are a few delicious salads to try from this blog:

Kochumber 

Creamy, Spicy, Vegan Zucchini Slaw

Dal Sprouts Salad

Cucumber Peanut Salad

Caprese Salad 

Moong Sprouts Salad

Ingredients

Lettuce - 5 cups, torn, medium packed

Garbanzo beans - 3 cups, cooked

Potatoes - 2 and 1.2 cups, cooked, cubed

Paneer - 2 and 1/2 cups, 1/2-in cubes

Cucumbers - 1 cup, diced

Onions - 1/2 cup, diced

Tomatoes - 1 cup, diced

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Cayenne - 1 tsp

Chaat masala - 2 tsp

For garnish

Peanuts - 1/2 cup, toasted

Sev - 1/2 cup

Moong sprouts - 1 cup

Cilantro - 1 tbsp, chopped

For the dressing

Cilantro-mint chutney - 1/3 cup

Sweet tamarind chutney - 1/3 cup

Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp

Yogurt - 1.5 cups

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method

Add the ingredients for the dressing and whisk. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.

Add the lettuce to the bowl as the bottom layer. Next, add in the garbanzos and sprinkle with a little cumin, cayenne, and chaat masala.

Add in the potato layer and sprinkle with cumin powder, cayenne, and chaat masala.

Add the cucumber, onions, and tomatoes in a bowl and mix. Add as a layer. 

Next layer the paneer cubes. Sprinkle cumin powder, cayenne, and chaat masala.

Finally, add the sprouts, peanuts, sev and sprinkle a little of cumin powder, cayenne, and chaat masala. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with dressing on the side.

Here are the links of delicious salad we shared today for "Layering Up Salads". Thanks, Christie!

• Chicken Cobb Salad Tower from The Spiffy Cookie
• Layered Garbanzo Beans and Paneer Salad from Magical Ingredients
• Layered Mason Jar Niçoise Salad from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Overnight 7 Layer Salad from Leftovers Then Breakfast
• Seven Layer Fruit Salad from Art of Natural Living
• Southwest 7 Layer Salad from The Freshman Cook
• The Ultimate Layered Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories