🌽 Masala Bhutta Salad

From Indian Street Corn to Global Fusion Salad

Some dishes aren’t invented.

They’re remembered and layered—piece by piece, story by story.

Summers in Toronto, we used to go down to Little India on Gerrard Street. The street was dotted with hot dog carts, and masala bhutta (pronounced bh-tta) was the catch of the day. In India, it’s a beloved street snack (especially during monsoon season), known for its smoky, tangy, and spicy flavour.

Traditionally, the corn is grilled or boiled, buttered generously, and rubbed with chaat masala and chilli powder using half a lime as both a brush and flavour bomb. It’s meant to be eaten whole, with juices dripping and spices sticking to your fingers.

But what if you want those flavours in a bowl?

Converting masala bhutta into a corn salad is not new—many cooks have tried to make the dish more shareable and spoonable. But for me, it doesn’t stop with just a salad. I imagine continents colliding in a culinary big bang of flavour.

It may seem like a bit of a build, but think of it as food LEGO—each component straightforward, snapping together into something colourful, layered, and deeply rewarding.

Start with the classic: golden kernels of corn tossed with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion—bright, juicy, and zesty.

Add avocado—like corn and tomatoes, also South American in origin—and think of that avocado-coriander-lime guacamole I made every day at Numnum, my restaurant in Basel. A sauce so bright, it made grilled cheese feel like sunshine.

Then top it all with a slick of Colombian salsa de piña. Not chunky like chutney, but smooth and sweet. Simmered pineapple with a hint of clove, a splash of vinegar, maybe a dash of mustard. It’s the kind of sauce my Colombian waitress told me they pour in Bogotá over perros calientes—hot dogs—and call love.

Now add Spanish padrón peppers, fried until blistered and salted like tapas. Remove the stems, chop, and scatter on top.

Serve it all on a bed of greens—rucola, lamb’s lettuce, or baby spinach—or tuck it into a crisp taco shell, like a papadam meets tostada. This isn’t fusion for the sake of trend. It’s a story—of ingredients crossing oceans and memories being reassembled.

This is our summer reunion dish.

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🔥 How to Prepare Masala Corn for the Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 ears of sweet corn, husks removed

• 1 tsp chaat masala (available in Indian shops)

• ½ tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste)

• 1 tbsp butter (or ghee)

• ½ lime

Method:

1. Grill corn cobs over an open flame or grill until lightly charred and smoky. Alternatively, boil for 6–8 minutes and finish with a quick pan-sear.

2. While hot, rub the cobs with butter, sprinkle chaat masala and chilli powder, then rub thoroughly with half a lime.

3. Let cool slightly, then slice kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.

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🌶 Fried Padrón Peppers – Classic Style

Ingredients:

• 200g padrón peppers

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Flaky sea salt

Method:

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add oil and peppers in a single layer.

3. Fry, turning occasionally, until blistered and slightly softened (4–5 minutes).

4. Remove from heat, let cool, then remove stems.

5. Sprinkle with sea salt and set aside.

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🥑 Avocado-Coriander Drizzle (Numnum Special Sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado

• 3 bunches fresh coriander, roughly chopped

• 2 bunches chives

• 2 bunches scallions

• 2 jalapeños (seeded if desired)

• ½ cup avocado oil

• ¾ to 1 cup lime juice (to taste)

• 2 tbsp agave syrup

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a blender, combine herbs, jalapeños, and half the lime juice. Blend until smooth.

2. Add avocado, oil, agave, mayo, and remaining lime juice. Blend again until creamy.

3. Taste and adjust: more lime for tang, more agave for sweetness, more mayo or avocado for thickness.

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🍍 Salsa de Piña – Colombian Hot Dog Sauce

A smooth, sweet-tart pineapple sauce traditionally used on hot dogs in Colombia, but here it brings summer brightness to a salad.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups fresh or canned pineapple, chopped

• 2 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)

• 1 tsp white vinegar or lime juice

• Pinch of salt

• Optional: dash of mustard, pinch of ground clove, or chilli sauce

Method:

1. Simmer pineapple, sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan until soft (10–15 minutes).

2. Blend until smooth. If too thin, simmer further or add ½ tsp cornstarch slurry to thicken.

3. Adjust seasoning and let cool.

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🥗 Masala Bhutta Salad Assembly

Ingredients:

• Kernels from 3 cobs of masala corn (see above)

• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• ½ cucumber, diced

• ½ red onion, finely chopped

• Handful of baby greens (rucola, lamb’s lettuce, or baby spinach)

• Handful fresh coriander leaves

• Fried padrón peppers (stems removed), halved or left whole

• Optional: finely grated aged cheddar or crumbled queso fresco

• Drizzles: avocado-coriander sauce & salsa de piña

Method:

1. In a large bowl, gently toss corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and coriander.

2. Layer on a bed of fresh greens.

3. Top with padrón peppers and optional cheese.

4. Drizzle generously with both avocado-coriander sauce and salsa de piña.

5. Serve immediately as a salad—or in crisp taco shells for a handheld version.

print and follow along

bhutta salad

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💬 Closing Note

This isn’t just a salad. It’s a mosaic of memories—Indian street food, Colombian hot dogs, Spanish peppers, a sauce from my restaurant days. Tomatoes, corn, avocado, and chillies—none of them native to India—were gifts from the New World that reshaped a cuisine. And now, they’re shaping mine.

This is what happens when piña collides with masala. A dish you eat with your fingers. A memory you serve with your hands.

This is summer, on a plate.