Charred corn salad with oil-free coriander (cilantro) dressing
You’ll love this charred corn salad with an oil-free coriander dressing. This Mexican inspired charred corn salad is easy to make and is also a family favorite. The coriander dressing brings all the other ingredients together in a perfect harmony. There’s a whole lot of flavors going on with tangy, spicy, sweet, herby & garlicky.
Servings 6 people
Calories 175kcal
Equipment
- Mixer/grinder/food processor
Ingredients
Coriander Dressing
- 50 gms fresh coriander (stalks & leaves), roughly chopped
- 5 gms fresh mint leaves (approx 10-15 leaves), roughly chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 green chilli/5-6 pieces pickled jalapeno, roughly chopped
- 1 cm ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 8-10 cashews, roughly chopped (for a nut-free alternative, refer to notes)
- 1 big lemon/lime (juice of)
- 1-1 1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
Salad ingredients
- 3 big corn cobs, husks & silks discarded
- 1 medium cucumber, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, deseeded & finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 red/green chilli, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, cut in cubes
- 10-15 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (refer to notes)
Instructions
Coriander dressing
- Wash & roughly chop the coriander & mint leaves.
- Roughly chop the ginger, garlic, green chili (you can adjust the heat level as per preference) & the cashews.
- In a mixer/grinder or a food processor, add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, lemon/lime juice, ginger, garlic, green chili, cashews, cumin seeds & salt.
- Blend together to make a smooth puree. Taste & add seasoning if required. Keep it aside.
Salad ingredients
- Remove the husks & the silks from the corn cobs. Char the corn on an open flame on the gas or a BBQ. You’ll hear popping sounds as you cook the corn. Make sure to continuously rotate the corn to avoid burning. Cook all the required corn on the cob.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels in a wide & big enough bowl. Keep aside.
- Peel & finely chop the cucumber (similar size to a corn kernel).
- Halve the tomatoes and using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Then, finely chop the tomatoes (similar size to a corn kernel).
- Finely dice the onion (similar size to a corn kernel).
- Finely chop the chili & the mint leaves.
- In a serving bowl, add the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, chili & mint leaves to the charred corn.
- Add in the coriander dressing & mix. Taste for seasoning and add salt or lemon juice if needed.
- Halve the avocado & using a knife, carefully make horizontal & vertical cuts to cut it in cubes. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado cubes and & mix in gently.
- Enjoy as a side dish or mains!
Video
Notes
- Total mint leaves required - approx. 10 gms, half the mint leaves to be used in the dressing and the remaining half in the salad.
- Nut-free version - For a nut free version, just substitute ¼ - ½ an avocado or 1 tbsp roasted chana daal/dal (easily available at Indian grocery shops) instead of cashews in the dressing. You can skip it as well but then the dressing can be a little watery. The cashews help with the binding and also make the dressing creamy.
- Calories information is approximate, calculated using online Recipe Calorie & Nutrition Calculator.
- Serving - As a side, it can serve up to 6 people. As mains, up to 3 people.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcal