Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad Recipe | How to Make Healthy Sweet Corn Chaat

Learn how to make Spicy Corn Chaat or Spicy Corn Salad ~ Quick and simple healthy snack of sweet corn in a lime and chaat masala dressing and topped with spicy gram flour noodles

After what feels like a long time, a very long time, I am back at work desk today. I have not recovered completely but the sorry chapter of coughing my lungs out seems to be over which only means I will not be spreading the nasty infection around. Having left on my own for the last two days bored to me to death and just when I was about to explode into tiny pieces, DH decided it will be best thing to step outside and meet some ‘real’ people in person than the imaginary ones I was talking to for the last couple of days.

Not your usual bowl of salad ~ Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

It was one of the worse weeks when it comes to health in my case. If I had a chance to rest as soon as the cold blooded viruses attacked me at full force, I would have recovered a long back. But with DH going away on business trip for 3 days, leaving behind one sick and clingy toddler with a nervous mother! This was the first time DH had to be away for all 3 days from us and as Lil Dumpling’s day starts and ends with his daddy’s cuddles, I was bit worried as how he will be without his daddy dear for all 3 days and nights! We had mentioned about it to Lil Dumpling every single day for the last one month in a hope that he won’t wake up in the middle of the night and cry for his daddy. The departure came with much drama and tears, both from daddy dear ;) It was only when Lil Dumpling saw his dad get into the taxi he realised his daddy is not actually going to his office! Oh dear…

Sweet, spicy, crunchy and crispy ~ Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

I needn’t have worried much as Lil Dumpling settled quite well with all the activities I had planned for him. Since he was unwell, I didn’t want him to tire himself with many physical activities and also since the weather outside was pathetic with temperature dropping to sub zeros and raining non-stop, our evening walk also needed to be scrapped off from the list. With his new found love for cutting the papers, we armed ourselves with colourful scissors and began cutting hundreds of junk mails we get on day to day basis. Cutting was followed by colouring, painting and other colourful activities which kept Lil Dumpling busy and happy. In the middle of all these, my nose and throat started to itch and head started to feel little heavy. By the time I tucked Lil Dumpling for night’s sleep, my nose felt like a broken water pipe, throat felt like dusted with rough sandpaper and migraine came hunting me down! The nasty virus found a new home in my body along with the tiny body lying peacefully in his cot!

Simply delish ~ Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

All my plans for finishing the books by my bedside or mindlessly flicking the channels on idiot box needed to be put aside and I found myself popping few tablets and going to bed early to get good night’s sleep. But the over cautious brain cells kept me awake for most part of the night and alerted me for every small noise from outside! The thought of having little person under my sole protection kept me jumpy at every single moment! Without saying much, my health started to go downhill with every passing minute and I seriously have no idea how I survived the next 2 days looking after Lil Dumpling who was beginning to recover and finding it too hard to sit in one place for more than 5 minutes! If it wasn’t for our friends S & V who came knocking the door on second evening as soon as they heard that I was unwell and took over the normal house chores as well as kept Lil Dumpling busy till he went to bed. While S looked after Lil Dumpling and kept him engaged, V cooked me a dinner for the next 2 days. LD was just too happy to play with his best friend M and went to bed quite happily. Ah… Friends like these are the blessings in everyone’s life!

Dig in ~ Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

Thankfully DH came home much earlier than anticipated and I was just too glad to put my feet up and literally pass on the sofa due to pure exhaustion! The weekends were spent lying on the bed for most part of the day and little cooking or poking my nose every time when DH attempted to cook! It took a longer time to recover but today I am really glad to get back to the routine. My body may be still recovering but I am on high spirits to get back to normal routine. During times like this when I have little energy to cook elaborate meals, we survive on hot bowl of soups or simple home meals like Rasam or Dal and rice or comfort bowl Kichidi.

Spicy Corn Chaat or Spicy Corn Salad

And then there is this Spicy Corn Chaat, quick and simple healthy snack of sweet corn in simple dressing that was my meal when DH was away. For a long time I have been making this Spicy Corn Chaat or Spicy Corn Salad whenever DH goes out of town. On days like that I used find myself too lazy to cook anything. I use the canned sweet corns and with in couple of minutes this bowl of healthy and simple Spicy Corn Salad is ready to dig in! The spices used vary from time to time, but the recipe below is something both DH and I like the most. The sweetness of sweet corn beautifully compliments the crunch from onions and juicy tomatoes. Addition of cucumber and mango gives this Spicy Corn Chaat a beautiful twist. Addition of spicy fried Bhujia or Sev gives this Spicy Corn Chaat a little guilty pleasure to what otherwise is a healthy snack or salad! :) You can be more creative and add a spoonful of sweet Date and Tamarind Chutney or spicy Coriander and Mint Chutney to tease and surprise the taste buds. Instead of calling it Spicy Corn Salad, I call it a Chaat as it has all the flavours you will find in any Indian Chaats sans fat and calories! Even without all the fuss or frills, this Spicy Corn Chaat is one of the best healthy snacks you can prepare with in couple of minutes and I haven’t come across anyone till date who didn’t enjoy this bowl full of goodness!

Sweet corn for Spicy Corn Chaat

Ingredients for Spicy Corn Chaat

Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

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Spicy Corn Chaat (Quick and simple healthy snack of sweet corn in a lime and chaat masala dressing and topped with spicy gram flour noodles)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins (If using fresh/frozen corn)
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serves: 2 people
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: As a snack or as a light meal

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Ingredients:
1½ cups Sweet Corn (I have used canned one but you can use fresh or frozen)
¼ cup Onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
¼ cup Cucumber, diced into ½ cm cubes
1 tbsp Raw Mango, peeled and grated (Optional)
1tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped (Optional)
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped (Optional)
½ freshly squeezed Lime juice (As per taste)
2-3 tbsp Sev/Bhujia, deep fried gram flour noodles (Optional. Available in any Asian stores or supermarkets)
Salt to taste

Spices Used:
¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder (As per taste)
1/8 – ¼ tsp Roasted Jeera/Cumin Powder
¼ - ½ tsp Chaat Masala (Available in any Indian stores)

As a snack or light meal ~ Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

Method:

1. If you are using a fresh or frozen corn, you can either boil them in enough water for 5-7 mins or microwave them on high power for 4-5 minutes and let it come to a room temperature before using. I have used canned variety which doesn’t require any cooking.
2. Take a medium sized mixing bowl and add sweet corn, onion, tomato and diced cucumber. Mix them well with a help of a spoon.
3. Next add all the spice powders listed above along with green chillies and salt to taste to freshly squeezed lime juice. Mix them well.
4. Add this to the sweet corn as well as finely chopped coriander leaves and mix them well. Adjust the seasoning as per taste.
5. Spoon this Spicy Corn Chaat into serving bowl or plate and add some spicy and crispy sev or bhujia for a crunchy texture and sprinkle little chaat masala if desired.
6. Serve the Spicy Corn Chaat as a quick snack or as a light meal with any cold or hot drink of your choice. Enjoy!

Spicy Corn Chaat/Salad

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Sia’s Notes:

• You can also add a spoonful of sweet Date and Tamarind Chutney or spicy Coriander and Mint Chutney for added flavour.
• If you are using a fresh or frozen corn, you can either boil them in enough water for 5-7 mins with a generous pinch of salt or microwave them on high power for 4-5 minutes and let it come to a room temperature before using. Make sure that you drain all the water before using. I have used canned variety which doesn’t require any cooking.
• Reader Ranjani suggests, as a variation you could also shallow fry the cooked corn before adding the rest of the ingrediants, this gives a very crispy feel to it and nice to munch on.

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Prashad Cookbook Giveaway:
If you have not already checked, there is a cookbook giveaway here in Monsoon Spice. I am giving away 2 copies of Kaushy Patel’s cookbook Prashad to the readers of Monsoon Spice and everyone is welcome to participate in this giveaway which will run till 10th April, 2013. You can read more about this giveaway as well as my review of Prashad here.