Cucumber chickpea chopped salad

Ingredients

• Chickpeas (drained)300g
• Cucumber (raw)250g
• Fresh tomatoes (raw)250g
• Onions (raw)50g
• Lemon juice (raw)25ml
• Plain bread (cooked)160g
• Olive oil (raw)15ml
• Salt (dry)3g
• Black pepper (dry)1g

Method

1. Drain 300g chickpeas thoroughly. Cut 50g onions into very fine 3mm dice and mix with 25ml lemon juice, 15ml olive oil, 3g salt and 1g black pepper. Fold in chickpeas and let stand while preparing the vegetables; keep chilled if made ahead.
2. Wash 250g cucumber and 250g fresh tomatoes. Cut into 1cm pieces. If cucumber seeds are very wet, scoop the loose seed core before cutting; weigh the edible portion after trimming.
3. Fold the vegetables through the chickpeas immediately before serving. Lift with a spoon rather than mashing. If liquid accumulates, serve with a slotted spoon so the bread stays crisp.
4. Toast 160g plain bread in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side until lightly crisp. Serve beside the cold salad; do not store the bread mixed into it.
5. The displayed quantities already match your selected servings. For 1 or 2 servings, use a smaller pan and check early; keep the stated cut sizes. For 4 servings use a broad pan or uncrowded trays; for 8 split every ingredient evenly into two 4-serving batches (more if the pan or pot capacity requires it). Keep pans below 80% full and vegetables in one layer when browning. Repeat the cooking and doneness checks for each batch; elapsed time increases for sequential batches. Serve cold promptly. Keep dressed salads and cut produce covered at 4°C or below and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour above 32°C. Follow the shortest ingredient use-by or opened-package limit; these cold components need no reheating.