RECIPE: Make Botiwalla’s Desi Salad with Chicken Tikka
The Desi Salad with Chicken Tikka from Botiwalla is so good my wife and I will make the trek from Sandy Springs, toting two cranky toddlers, just to get it for takeout. The combination of flavors and textures makes this the ultimate salad experience. — Eric Smith, Sandy Springs
Daniel Peach, culinary director for the Chai Pani Restaurant Group, provided the recipe for vegetable salad with lots of crunch and bright flavors.
Because the cumin is an important component of both the dressing and the Chicken Tikka, Peach recommends making your own cumin powder by toasting cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, then cooling the seeds and crushing or grinding in a spice grinder. Another option would be to purchase the roasted cumin from Spicewalla, a sister company to Botiwalla.
For the neutral oil called for in the recipes for Masala Cashews and Chicken Tikka, use any of your favorite cooking oils except highly flavored ones such as olive oil.
In this photo, the salad is paired with mango lassi, a refreshing counterpoint to the slight heat in the salad.
Botiwalla’s Chicken Tikka Desi Salad
Sev are thin, crunchy noodles made from chickpea flour and sold at Indian groceries.
- 5 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1 pound)
- 5 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 pound)
- 5 cups shredded carrots (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 cup Cumin-Lime Dressing (see recipe), or as needed
- Heaping 1/2 cup Masala Cashews (see recipe)
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- Kosher salt (optional)
- 1/2 cup slivered green onions
- 1/2 cup sev
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- Chicken Tikka (see recipe)
- In a large serving bowl, toss together green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots. Add Cumin-Lime Dressing, cashews and cilantro. Toss. Taste for seasoning and add salt or dressing, if needed. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving.
- When ready to serve, top with green onions, sev and sesame seeds. Arrange Chicken Tikka on top or around the sides. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 790 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 59 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 51 grams total fat (10 grams saturated), 181 milligrams cholesterol, 426 milligrams sodium.- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups light olive oil or canola oil
- In the jar of a blender, combine vinegar, lime juice, onion, cilantro, garlic, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. With blender on low speed, slowly add oil. May be stored in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Makes 2 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 95 calories (percent of calories from fat, 95), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 46 milligrams sodium.Masala Cashews
This recipe makes much more than you’ll need for the salad, but, as culinary director Daniel Peach suggests, they’re so delicious you’ll want extra for snacking. Kashmiri chili powder can be found at stores carrying Indian groceries, or online. You can also substitute paprika, which will provide the color but not the chile flavor.
- 3 tablespoons canola or another neutral-tasting oil
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 pounds raw cashews, split into halves
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine oil, sugar, salt, chili powder and cumin. Stir together.
- In a large bowl, mix cashews with spice mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Spread cashews on prepared baking sheet and roast 7 to 8 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from oven and stir cashews. Return to oven and bake 7 to 8 more minutes or until cashews are light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool before using. Store in a covered container for up to 2 weeks. Makes 8 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 39 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 47 milligrams sodium.Chicken Tikka
You can buy ginger-garlic paste, a combination of equal parts peeled ginger and garlic, at Indian stores and in the produce section of some supermarkets, but Peach suggests you can also make your own. Combine 1/4 cup garlic cloves and 1/4 cup roughly chopped peeled fresh ginger in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. You may need to add a teaspoon of oil to help the mixture puree. Peach suggests you make at least double the amount and keep the extra in a jar in your refrigerator, where it will last for a month. “This stuff is gold. It makes a great base rub for chicken and other meats.”
Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek and available at Indian grocery stores. Ghee is clarified butter and available at Indian groceries and natural food stores. It is also easy to make at home by melting butter over low heat. As the butter heats, it will separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top. You will begin to see milk solids settling to the bottom of the pot. After about 25 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the ghee to cool, then strain it into a storage container, leaving the milk solids behind.
The recipe calls for roasting the chicken. Grilling the chicken would be another option.
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup ginger-garlic paste (see notes above)
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/4 cup canola or another neutral-tasting oil
- 4 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
- 3 tablespoons coriander
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi, optional
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- Bamboo skewers, for roasting, soaked at least 30 minutes
- 3 tablespoons ghee, melted
- In a large bowl, combine yogurt, vinegar, ginger-garlic paste, lime juice, oil, Kashmiri chili powder or paprika, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne and kasuri methi, if using. Add chicken and toss until all pieces are covered with marinade. Cover chicken and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a wire cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Arrange chicken pieces on prepared bamboo skewers. Arrange skewers on wire rack. Roast skewers 6 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with ghee. Return to oven and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until chicken is cooked to 165 degrees. Remove from oven and arrange on salad. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 365 calories (percent of calories from fat, 37), 53 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 15 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 182 milligrams cholesterol, 191 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... Botiwalla, Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta. 470-225-8963, botiwalla.com.
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