This Chaat-Style Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad is a refreshing, vibrant side dish that combines crispy shaved Brussels sprouts with the tangy, spicy, and sweet flavors of Indian chaat. It's the perfect fall salad to enjoy at a holiday family dinner. With roasted sprouts and warm spiced chickpeas and potatoes, this salad is a flavorful and healthy fusion side to share.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad has been doing it's rounds on the internet in the recent months as people rediscover how truly delicious this vegetable is! My mom always used to make a sabji with spiced Brussels and potatoes that was one of my favorites. I knew I had to combine the flavors to make a bright, fall salad that's perfect to enjoy during the festive season.
It's the perfect salad for adding a burst of flavor to any meal, whether you're enjoying it as a side or a standalone dish. With crunchy sprouts, zesty spices, and a kick of heat from the date-tamarind chutney, this salad is a delicious and healthy fusion side dish for family dinners.
Jump to:
Why You'll love this Recipe
- Serve this salad as a side dish or add diced paneer that's lightly fried with salt for more protein as a standalone dish for lunch.
- It's festive and bright so it absolutely should make an appearance as a side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- The salad is easily customizable as with all chaats!
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
- Brussels Sprouts - Use fresh sprouts! They're especially in season during the fall. Be sure to remove the stems and outer leaves. You can skip roasting them and serve them raw with the red onions in this salad.
- Potatoes - Use yellow or Russet potatoes.
- Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas that are rinsed and drained get nice and crispy in the oven! You can also soak dry chickpeas and boil them to soften them.
- Dried Cranberries - Provide a bit of sweetness and tartness. Substitute with fresh pomegranates.
- Red onion - Substitute with yellow onion or shallots.
- Spices - Chaat masala, ground cumin, and ground coriander are common to chaats. Substitute garlic powder with freshly minced garlic. Add Kashmiri chili powder or red chili flakes for a bit of heat if your imli chutney isn't a bit spicy.
- Chutney - Make homemade date tamarind chutney or find it at a grocery store. It may be labeled as date chutney, meethi chutney, or imli chutney.
- Pomegranate molasses is also tangy and slightly sweet so it would work as a substitute for tamarind chutney.
- Chamoy is tangy and spicy and would be delicious as a substitute for tamarind chutney.
If you can't grab tamarind chutney from a grocery store and want to make a quick version:
- In a hot sauce pan, dry roast a ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add a ¼ cup of date syrup and ¼ cup of tamarind paste into the sauce pan with a ½ cup of water. Stir in a ¼ teaspoon of black salt, ½ teaspoon garam masala, and ½ teaspoon chili powder.
- Simmer on low heat until thick.
- Taste and adjust for salt and sweetness.
How to make Indian Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray one half sheet pan and two quarter sheet pans with neutral oil.
- Step 1: Remove a layer of outer leaves from the sprouts. Thinly slice Brussels sprouts with a chef's knife, mandolin, or food processor.
- Step 2: Toss together the sliced Brussels sprouts, red onions, salt, pepper, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Spread it out in a half sheet pan.
- Step 3: Toss the diced potatoes together with ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread them out in one of the quarter sheet pans. Roast for 55 minutes, flipping the potatoes half way through.
- Step 4: Toss the chickpeas together with ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread them out in one of the quarter sheet pans. Roast for 55 minutes, shaking the pan half way through.
- Step 5: Roast the Brussels sprouts on the bottom rack for 15-20 minutes at the same time as the potatoes and chickpeas, being sure to keep an eye on the browning to ensure the smaller leaves don't burn. The sprouts will crisp and brown but not fully caramelize.
- Step 6: Toss together the roasted Brussels sprouts, red onions, chickpeas, potatoes, dried cranberries, and cilantro.
Note: Be extra extra careful removing the Brussels sprouts from the oven. They steam as they get crispy, so open the oven slowly and face away from the oven.
You can circumvent this by starting with the half sheet pan in the oven and get it super hot so that the sprouts get crispy immediately. Be extremely careful handling the hot pan.
- Step 7: Drizzle the salad with imli chutney and lime juice. Taste and adjust for spices. Garnish with extra cilantro and dried cranberries, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
This Chaat-Style Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad works well as a side dish to Indian or fusion meals, or as a starter for any gathering.
Serve it alongside Tandoori Roast Chicken, Brown Dal, or your favorite rice dishes. Other warm and festive sides to serve with this salad include Garam Masala Roasted Carrots and Tadka Mashed Potatoes. For a complete meal, pair with naan or paratha and yogurt on the side. This salad is also excellent for potlucks and adds a unique twist to any holiday table.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Shaving Brussels Sprouts: If you don't have a mandolin, use a food processor with the slicing blade, or thinly slice with a sharp knife.
- Roasting Brussels Sprouts: The sprouts will start to steam in the oven, then caramelize and brown. While the goal of this salad isn't caramelized crispy Brussels, it is definitely a value add if you'd like! Start off with getting the half sheet pan hot in the preheated oven, then directly transfer the spiced Brussels and onions to the hot pan.
- Add Protein: The chickpeas adds protein to the salad but you can increase the amount by adding pan-fried diced or shredded paneer to make it more filling.
- Extra Crunch: Try topping the salad with sev, roasted peanuts, pomegranates, slivered almonds, or crushed pita chips for a crunch.
- Adjusting Spice Levels: Chaat masala and imli chutney add a bit of heat (depending on the recipe of your chutney) but you can sprinkle red chili flakes or Kashmiri chili powder to give the salad a kick. Feel free to adjust both to your spice preference.
Storage Instructions
This salad is best enjoyed fresh to maintain the crunch and the texture of the potatoes and chickpeas. The Brussels get soggy after a day.
However, if you need to store leftovers, let the salad completely cool off and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. I usually enjoy leftovers for lunch on a bed of kale, grilled chicken, and pomegranates.
More Side Dishes to try
Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Thinking about making this recipe? Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox to save for later. Plus, get new recipe inspiration from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Masala and Chai.
Chaat-Style Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds brussel sprouts, shaved/thinly sliced
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces potatoes, diced
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin, divided
- ¾ teaspoon chaat masala, divided
- salt
- black pepper
- cilantro, chopped
- 2 ounces dried cranberries
- 1 lime, juiced
- ⅓ cup imli chutney
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- Remove a layer of outer leaves from the sprouts. Use a mandolin or sharp knife to shave the Brussels sprouts into thin slices. Thinly slice the red onion, dice the potatoes, and rinse and drain a can of chickpeas. Spray all 3 sheet pans with neutral oil.
- In the half sheet pan, toss together the shaved Brussels sprouts, red onion, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon ground coriander.
- In a ⅛ sheet pan, toss together the chickpeas, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, salt, and pepper. In the last ⅛ sheet pan, toss together the diced potatoes, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Be sure to spread everything out as much as possible to give everything space to cook and get crispy.
- Place the half sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven and the 2 ⅛ sheet pans on the top rack. Roast the Brussels for a 15-20 minute cook time, or until the leaves are browned and crispy. Continue to roast the chickpeas and potatoes for 50-55 minutes total, giving them a shake at 30 minutes for an even cook on both sides. Remove when the potatoes are chickpeas are both crispy.
- Transfer the crispy chickpeas and potatoes into the sheet pan with the brussels. Add the dried cranberries and cilantro and toss the salad together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Plate the salad in a serving bowl. Pour the imli chutney and lime juice over the salad and gently toss until everything is well coated.
- Just before serving garnish with extra cilantro and a few dried cranberries, if desired. Serve the salad warm.
Anonymous says