Kachumber (Indian Cucumber Tomato Salad)

Kachumber is a crisp, finely chopped Indian salad with onion, tomato, cucumber and coriander. It's finished with zingy lemon juice and is served alongside Indian meals.

Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in April 2021. I’ve added new images and recipe tips I've picked up over the years (trust me, I make this one A LOT). The recipe remains the same.

You know that fresh, zingy chopped salad that magically appears alongside poppadoms and poppadom dips at Indian restaurants? That’s the inspiration behind my kachumber recipe.

If you’re anything like me, you probably end up eating half your meal’s worth of poppadoms just because of how good that crunchy kachumber is!

That version is the one I wanted to recreate at home. Simple but punchy, and the perfect balance of tangy and fresh, it's far more than just a salad on the side.

It’s also perfect alongside curries, tarka dal, next to tandoori paneer, on masala poppadoms or even piled into a wrap for crunch.

I basically eat it everyday and not get bored.

Note that kachumber isn't quite the same as a Indian raw onion salad, which is made entirely of raw onions and spices or red Indian onion chutney.

Ingredients with My Tips

Whilst it's simple to make, and the ingredients are self-explanatory, there are a few recipe tips to keep in mind.

Onion - I pretty much always use red onion, but white onion works too. I'd say it's down to personal preference but I find that red onion is more palatable raw. I chop it extra fine so the flavour is subtle without overpowering the other ingredients. Sometimes, I soak in cold water for 5–10 minutes to take away the raw-ness.

Tomatoes - Restaurants often deseed tomatoes to avoid excess moisture. I do the same ... whenever I've got the patience. Firm, ripe tomatoes are key so they don’t turn mushy.

Cucumber - I use English cucumber which is crisp and the skin is tender. Again, de-seed the cucumber for the best texture, but you don't have to.

Coriander - I always chop coriander just before serving so it stays vibrant. Occasionally, you'll see restaurants use mint leaves too which adds freshness.

Lemon juice - whenever I can, I use freshly squeezed lemon or lime but bottled absolutely works too.

Cumin coriander powder or chaat masala - the spices are optional - some restaurants will add it, some won't. Adding it adds an extra layer of flavour and makes it taste unmistakably "Indian" but it isn't essential.

Salt - if you're preparing the kachumber ahead of time, add the salt just before serving to prevent the kachumber becoming soggy. You only need a light sprinkling of salt to bring the flavours together.

The main tip I have for you is to finely chop everything to the same size.

Go finely chopped rather than chunky as this texture complements the food kachumber is served it. The idea is that it's easily scoopable onto a poppadom. It should have similar resemblance to a shirazi salad.

You can build on kachumber by adding beans, this Indian black eyed peas salad is a great option.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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