Kachumber is a simple Indian cucumber salad with onions, radishes, mangoes in a spicy lime sauce. This kachumber recipe is a twist on the traditional recipe. Make it as a side dish or light lunch.

Continuing my ode to Indian food, today, I am bringing you a salad I grew up eating, but, I make it with a twist

I made this with Mangoes which are in season now and I can’t wait to make several recipes using these delicious fruits!

Click here to check out info on Version 1 of this recipe.

Closeup view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad in it and lime slices on the bottom right corner and cilantro on top left

Tips for making kachumber

  • Don’t make this salad in advance. Make it about 30 minutes or less before you are ready to serve. It will get soggy
  • I used the “Honey” mango variety of mangoes, but, you can use any mango type
  • Choose a slightly ripe mango. When you press on the outside of the mango, it makes a slight dent, but, re-gains its shape immediately
  • Traditionally, the onions are diced, but, I highly recommend cutting them in Julienne style
  • I use both Thai green chili and red chili powder because I am a spice freak! But, you can use as much or as little spice as you can handle. If you can’t handle spicy food, choose either the Thai chili or the red chili powder
  • This recipe calls for only one radish, but, if you can easily add one more
  • If your mango is not sweet enough, you can add 1 tsp of maple syrup to the lime juice before mixing it with the salad
  • Don’t skip on the cilantro in this recipe. It adds so much flavor to the kachumber
  • Serve it with the main course meal and not as a pre-meal salad. That’s how we normally eat this salad.
Closeup view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad in it

Answering Common Questions

How do you pronounce Kachumber (AKA Cachumber)?

Break it into 3 syllables – “KA” – is pronounced as “ka” like in company, “Chum” – is pronounced as “chum” as in “chummy” and finally, ber is pronounced as “burr” as in “BURR, its cold out there!
So, that’s how you say Kachumber! Hope this helps!

Can I make this salad with yogurt?

Yes, you can add yogurt to the recipe. However, don’t add any lime or lemon juice to it. For this recipe, add about 1/4 cup of yogurt, and about 1 Tbsp of water. Mix it before adding to the cucumber salad.

Is this a traditional Gujrati Kachumber?

This is a twist on the traditional Gujrati kacumber. Mango is not commonly added to the salad, but, I added it because I love the sweet and spice flavors in it.

Can I make this salad in advance?

No, don’t make this kachumber salad more than 30 minutes before you are ready to eat it. The reason is that it will get soggy. If you want to make it ahead, chop all the ingredients and store them separately. When you are ready to make it, assemble all the ingredients and serve.

What does kachumber mean?

Kachumber is basically a haphazard chopping of ingredients, which is how its normally made. All the ingredients are chopped roughly and mixed together with very little fuss.

Closeup view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad in it and lime slices on the bottom right corner

How to make Kachumber salad

  1. Chop the cucumber, mangoes and tomatoes into small cubes. The green chili can be diced rounds, if using.
  2. Finely dice the cilantro, if using and julienne chop the red onions.
  3. In a bowl, add all the chopped ingredients.
  4. Add the cumin-coriander powder, chili powder and lime juice.
  5. Mix well and serve it immediately

Have you tried my Moroccan cucumber salad? It’s simply delicious!

Overhead view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad before it has been mixed

What other ingredients can I add to it?

  • Carrots
  • Chaat masala
  • Zucchini
  • Roasted butternut squash
  • Peaches
  • Bananas
Overhead view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad in it and lime slices on the bottom right corner

What to serve with this cucumber salad

This salad is normally eaten alongside main course Indian meals. Here are some of my favorites to serve alongside this cucumber salad:

Overhead view of a light gray bowl with Kachumber salad in it and clan†ro on the top left

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Top view of a grey bowl filled with mangoes, onions, tomatoes, cucumber and other vegetables to make kachumber

How to Make Kachumber

Rini
A twist on the traditional Gujrati Kachumber salad.  This is a cucumber salad with mangoes and Indian spices
Go Ahead, Rate it now!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 57 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 mango diced
  • 1 cucumber diced, skin removed
  • 1/4 red onion julienne
  • 1 Thai green chili chopped
  • 1 tomatoes on the vine diced
  • 1.5 Tbsp cumin-coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt adjust to taste
  • 1.5 tsp red chili powder I used the extra hot red chili powder.
  • 1.5 Tbsp lime adjutst to taste
  • Cilantro for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Take a fresh, clean bowl
  • Place all the ingredients in the bowl and mix well
  • Set aside for no more than 30 minutes
  • Serve with the main course meal

Video

Notes

– Make sure you use fresh mangoes and not frozen
– This kachumber salad is on the spicy side, so, be sure to adjust to your taste
– For the cucumber, this salad is better with the skin peeled off

Nutrition

Calories: 57kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gSodium: 352mgPotassium: 314mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1085IUVitamin C: 24.2mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg
Keyword How to make kachumber?, How to say kachumber, Kachumber Salad Recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Version One of this Kachumber Salad (Radish Salsa)

This was one of my very early recipes that I made for my blog way back in 2013! Originally published on December 3rd, 2013 at 12:55pm. Link to my original recipe on Wayback Machine

As you can see from the image, it was in desperate need of an update!! The images are just too embarrassing to be shown anymore!

Top view of cucumber salad, with radishes, onions and thai chili on a white plate

Also, in those early days, I was adamant to not call it an “Indian Recipe” because I really wanted to focus on non-Indian recipes. So, I called it a radish salsa recipe, lol!!

I kept all the main ingredients the same, but, added a mango to the refreshed version.

What do you think of the new recipe?

If you try this recipe, be sure to rate it below and send me pics. I am always happy to hear from my readers.

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