One of the most beloved street foods in India is also one of the simplest: corn on the cob, slow roasted over hot coals, over which you squeeze juicy lime wedges and sprinkle salt, cayenne pepper and whatever else the wallah has up his sleeve. It bears a striking resemblance to Mexican elote, which adds some salty, creamy cotija to the mix. Here’s a salad inspired by this beloved street food! Feel free to add some cotija if you like. I keep this dairy-free for my dairy-free husband.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 large ears corn, husks and silk removed
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Big pinch ground cardamom
- Big pinch chaat masala
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup halved cherry or sugarplum tomatoes
- 1 or 2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves thinly sliced
- Small handful fresh cilantro, leaves and soft stems rustically ripped into bite-size pieces
Instructions
- Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and heat until just beginning to smoke. Rub the corn with olive oil, then carefully lay into the pan. Cook until charred in patches all the way around and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- For the dressing: Meanwhile, whisk together the lime juice, cumin, cayenne, cardamom, chaat masala and salt and black pepper to taste. Slice the kernels off the cobs and tumble into a big bowl. Add the tomatoes, mint and cilantro. Toss with the dressing, and taste for seasoning. Serve!
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 127 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 389 mg |
Reviews
This recipe was easy and tasty.
Made this last night while the grill was on. FANTASTIC! i had garam masala too not chaat. Not sure what the diff is, but it was great.
I enjoyed this recipe as it was fairly easy to make! I did not have any chaat masala so I used garam masala and 1/4 tsp of cane sugar hoping it would compensate… It was tasty as I love charred corn, but I was not crazy about the dressing although it did pair well with the salad. I would make this again, but not regularly.
This grilled corn salad is very bright and a wonderful change for a summer side dish. I did substitute a grilled anaheim seeded pepper for the cayene but other that, followed the recipe exactly. Everyone was delighted and went back for more.
This was incredible. The flavors went together so well and it was very bright. We added some ricotta salata to it, but I think queso fresco might have been a better choice. We also added jalapeno to the left overs and it was amazing. Will definitely make again
Can I say OMG this was a flavor punch! Loved the sweet, salty, spicy combination. I also preferred the cheese in it…a rich finish for a festive dish. Don’t skip the cilantro. (And vegetarian too…Thank you Aarti!
Served this at a dinner party to rave reviews. Loved the smoky spicy sauce. I added the cotija cheese as a topping and really liked the salty kick it brought to the dish. Will definitely be making this again!