Fire Roasted Corn and Cucumber Salad with Chaat Masala Vinaigrette

📋 Recipe at a Glance

• ⏱ Time: 15 minutes
• ♨️Cooking Method: Stovetop open flame
• 🌿Diet: Vegan + Gluten-Free
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Servings: Serves 4
• 🥗Highlights: Easy Smoky fire roasted corn + crisp cucumber + chaat masala vinaigrette. Indian-inspired, summer approved.

This fire-roasted corn and cucumber salad is inspired by "bhutta", the beloved Indian street corn roasted over charcoal and dusted with spices that you find at roadside vendors across India. Here, smoky charred corn is tossed with crisp cucumber, ripe tomatoes, and red onion in a bright chaat masala vinaigrette with lime, fresh cilantro, and mint. It is vegan, gluten-free, and one of the freshest, most flavorful salads you will make all summer.

The secret is the chaat masala. This tangy Indian spice blend made with amchur (dried mango powder), black salt, and cumin adds a tart, savory depth that no other dressing can replicate. Once you try it in a vinaigrette, you will want to put it on everything.

You should also check out my smashed potato and charred corn salad as well as the summer strawberry salad to use charred corn in other recipes.

🥘Recipe Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 🌽Fresh corn
• 🥒English cucumber
• 🍅Cherry tomatoes
• 🧅Red onion
• 🥬Fresh cilantro leaves
• 🥬Fresh mint leaves

For the Chaat Masala Vinaigrette:

• 🍋Fresh lime juice
• 🧈Extra virgin olive oil
• 🧂Chaat masala
• 🧂Salt and black pepper

💭What is Chaat Masala?

Chaat masala is a tangy, savory Indian spice blend made with amchur (dried mango powder), cumin, coriander, black salt, and dried ginger. It has a distinctly sour, slightly funky flavor that adds instant depth and brightness to anything it touches like salads (smashed potato and corn salad), fruit, roasted vegetables, and street food (papdi chaat, sweet potato chaat). It is the spice that makes Indian street food taste unmistakably Indian. You can find it at any Indian grocery store, most international food stores, or online. MDH Chaat masala and Everest are the most widely available brands in the US.

👩‍🍳Steps to make this recipe

Step 1: Fire Roast the Corn. Shuck the corn and place the shucked corn cobs directly over a medium-high gas flame on your stovetop. Using tongs, rotate the corn every 30 to 45 seconds until lightly charred all over, about 2 to 3 minutes total. You are looking for dark spots on most of the kernels, not fully blackened corn. Set aside and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, stand the cob upright in a deep bowl and use a sharp knife to slice the kernels off the cob from top to bottom, rotating as you go.

Step 2: Make the Vinaigrette Add the lime juice, olive oil, chaat masala, black pepper, and salt to a small mason jar or mixing cup. Seal and shake vigorously, or whisk until fully emulsified. Taste and adjust salt — chaat masala already contains salt, so add conservatively and taste as you go.

Step 3: Assemble the Salad Add the roasted corn kernels, diced cucumber, halved tomatoes, and sliced red onion to a large mixing bowl. Pour the chaat masala vinaigrette over everything and toss gently to combine. Add the fresh cilantro and mint and toss once more. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Step 4: Chill and Serve For best results, refrigerate the salad for 15 to 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to come together. Serve cold or at room temperature.

💭 Vaishali's top tips

• Use the freshest corn you can find. In-season corn is sweeter and more flavorful than off-season corn. The natural sugars caramelize beautifully when fire-roasted.
• Do not skip the open flame. Most competing recipes use a skillet or grill pan. Roasting directly on a gas burner gives the corn a deeper, smokier char that you genuinely cannot replicate any other way. It takes 3 minutes and makes an enormous difference.
• Add the vinaigrette just before serving. If you are making this ahead, keep the vinaigrette and vegetables separate and toss together no more than 30 minutes before serving. Dressed too far in advance, the cucumber will release water and dilute the dressing.
• Taste the vinaigrette before adding more salt. Chaat masala contains black salt, so the vinaigrette will already be well seasoned. Always taste before adding extra salt.
• Make it your own. Add diced avocado for creaminess, crumbled paneer or feta for a salty punch, or a finely diced jalapeño for heat.

🫙Storage instructions

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the cucumber will continue to release water as it sits, so the salad will become slightly more dressed over time. Do not freeze.

❓FAQs