Black Bean Chat

When I get the craving for some spicy refreshing chat that is healthy and figure friendly, I turn to my good old bean chat. This is one of the easiest and yet the tastiest chat recipes I ever had. It cleans out your refrigerator and provides a healthy snack (or a evening meal) to you and your family. So , here is how I do it


Ingredients
Black beans canned or home soaked and cooked – 3 cups
Cucumber – 1 large peeled and chopped
Celery – 3 stalks chopped
Tomatoes – 2 chopped
Red onions – 1/2 chopped
Green chilies – 2-3 finely chopped
Carrots – 1 large or 2 medium shredded
Green or Red pepper – 1 chopped
Fresh lemon /lime juice – 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Chat powder – 2 teaspoon
Chili powder – 1/4 teaspoon ( more if you like it spicy)
Cilantro – 1/2 cup chopped
Sev (optional)
Peanuts - 2/3 cup
Method
Mix beans and all veggies in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt, chili powder, cumin powder, chat powder and lime juice over the veggies and mix well. Taste the mix and adjust seasoning to your liking. Finally mix in the chopped cilantro. Serve the bean chat in individual bowls topped with salted peanuts and sev mixture.

Variation: You may substitute black beans with any beans of your liking or choose to use two different kinds of beans. I sometimes use a combination of black and garbanzo beans for the chat.