Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad by Sanjyot Keer: Indian Flair for a Classic

Summary: Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad by Sanjyot Keer creates Indian flair for a classic salad by fusing Caesar Salad with Mughlai-style North Indian cuisine.

Chef Sanjyot Keer's Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad recipe adds North Indian Mughlai cuisine flair to Classic Caesar Salad: Your Food Lab, via Facebook Feb. 4, 2018

Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad by Sanjyot Keer creates Indian flair for a classic salad by fusing Caesar Salad with a Mughlai-style North Indian cooking technique.

Caesar Salad has roots in Italy and Mexico. Italian immigrant restauranteur Cesare "Caesar" Cardini (Feb. 24, 1896-Nov. 3, 1956) created the elegantly simple salad in Mexico's northernmost state, Baja California, in 1924. He presented his new creation in his restaurant, Caesar's Restaurant, located in the resort city of Tijuana.

In the almost 100 years since its introduction, Caesar Salad has achieved global name recognition and popularity. The easily constructed salad also enchants with its receptivity to enhancements as a salad and transformations into different recipe categories. Caesar Salad's culinary repertoire of offshoots and variations displays non-vegetarian and vegetarian recipes.

Born and based in the Maharashtrian capital of Mumbai, North Indian chef and internet and television personality Sanjyot Singh Keer (born June 16, 1992) shares his daily-growing repertoire of recipes on Your Food Lab (YFL), available via Facebook and YouTube. He created the digital food content portals in 2016. As of May 4, 2022, his Facebook page has 5.2 million followers, and his YouTube channel has 3.28 million subscribers.

Chef Sanjyot particularly favors comfort food, fusion cuisine and Mumbai street food. His food content explorations extend to Caesar Salad, a comfort food that is especially amenable to fusion cuisine. Chef Sanjyot's Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad fuses Cesare Cardini's classic salad with North India's Mughal Era-influenced cuisine. Mughlai cuisine blends Indian cuisine with Central Asian and Persian cooking techniques. Chicken Tikka entails marinating pieces of boneless chicken in yogurt and spices. Tikka derives from the Persian word تکّه, tekke, for "pieces, morsels."

Mughlai cuisine traces to the three century-reign of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. The Mughal Empire began with the defeat of Ibrahim Khan Lodi (1480-April 21, 1526), the Sultan of Delhi, on April 21, 1526, in the First Battle of Panipat, in present-day Haryana state, by Central Asian amir ("ruler") Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad (Feb. 14, 1483-Dec. 26, 1530), known as Babur. The Mughal Empire ended Sep. 21, 1857, with the defeat of Bahadur Shah II (Oct. 24, 1775-Nov. 7, 1862) during the Siege of Delhi (June 8-Sep. 21, 1857).

Chef Sanjyot's Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad starts with hung curd. India's mostly wheyless yogurt is known elsewhere as Greek yogurt or strained yogurt.

One-third cup of hung curd is whisked in a bowl with 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon each of coriander powder and garam masala, salt (according to taste) and 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste.

Then 250 grams (8 ounces) of boneless chicken pieces (8 to 9) are stirred into the mixture. The bowl is set aside to allow the chicken pieces to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Then the marinated chicken pieces are placed onto an oiled grill pan. The pieces are fried and turned until they are crisply golden brown.

The dressing starts by adding 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 5 to 6 crushed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and, to taste, black pepper and salt to the dressing bowl. Then 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil are drizzled into the bowl. The dressing ingredients are stirred together well. The bowl is aside.

The salad base is constructed by cutting 1 head of romaine leaves into fifths and placing the cut leaves in the Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad's serving bowl. Next, 1/3 cup bread croutons and Caesar Dressing are added. Two wooden spoons are used to toss the salad.

The cooked chicken pieces are placed atop the salad. Then the dish becomes Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad with final tosses.

Chef Sanjyot's Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad appears as the only Caesar Salad-themed recipe on Your Food Lab. His other chicken tikka-themed recipes include Chicken Malai Tikka, Chicken Tikka (Three Ways), Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Tikka Masala Tacos.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Chef Sanjyot Keer's Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad recipe adds North Indian Mughlai cuisine flair to Classic Caesar Salad: Your Food Lab, via Facebook Feb. 4, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/yourfoodlab/posts/1938399919810671

Your Food Lab. "Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad Recipe by Sanjyot Keer," via YouTube May 19, 2017, @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0zzKq1X4g

For further information:

Bhandari, Kabir Singh. "Meet Chef Sanjyot Keer, the Fusion Maven." The New Indian Express > Lifestyle > Food. Aug. 29, 2021. Last updated Sep. 2, 2021.
Available @ https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/food/2021/aug/29/meet-chef-sanjyot-keer-the-fusion-maven-2350260.html

Global News Staff. "Recipe: Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad Recipe." Global News > Lifestyle. Nov. 3, 2018.
Available @ https://globalnews.ca/news/4626620/recipe-chicken-tikka-ceasar-salad-recipe/

Khan, Simran. "Chef Sanjyot Keer opens up about journey of 'Your Food Lab', his love for Mumbai's street food and more." The Free Press Journal > Food. Jan. 8, 2021.
Available @ https://www.freepressjournal.in/food/fpj-exclusive-your-food-lab-founder-chef-sanjyot-keers-journey-to-indias-top-digital-content-creator

Makan, Chetna. Chai, Chaat & Chutney: A Street Food Journey Through India. London [UK]: Mitchell Beazley, Sep. 5, 2017.

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beware the Ides of March: The Assassination of Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 3, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/beware-ides-of-march-assassination-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Salad Recipe: Named for Chef Cesare Cardini, Not Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/caesar-salad-recipe-named-for-chef.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Chicken Caesar Burger by Sanjeev Kapoor: Grilled and Caesar Flavored." Earth and Space News. Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/04/chicken-caesar-burger-by-sanjeev-kapoor.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Mumbai Caesar Salads: Creative, Original and Sophisticated Variations." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 24, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/mumbai-caesar-salads-creative-original.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "South Indian Caesar Salads: Classic and Wrap Variations in Chennai." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 31, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/south-indian-caesar-salads-classic-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "North Indian Caesar Deviled Eggs by Sanjeev Kapoor Blend Two Classics." Earth and Space News. Thursday, April 7, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/04/north-indian-caesar-deviled-eggs-by.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "North Indian Caesar Chicken Salad in Parmesan Cups by Sanjeev Kapoor." Earth and Space News. Thursday, April 21, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/04/north-indian-caesar-chicken-salad-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "North Indian Chicken Caesar Salad: Celebrate Julius Caesar's Birthday July 12 or 13." Wizzley. Monday, July 12, 2021.
Available @ https://wizzley.com/north-indian-chicken-caesar-salad-celebrate-julius-caesar-s-birthday-july-12-or-13/

Roy, Pallavi. "Middle Path / Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad." Heuristic Kitchens. April 5, 2017.
Available @ http://heuristickitchens.com/middle-path-chicken-tikka-caesar-salad/

Sarkar, Petrina Verma. "All About Mughlai-Style Indian Cuisine." The Spruce Eats. June 18, 2019.
Available @ https://www.thespruceeats.com/mughlai-indian-cuisine-4045183

Siciliano-Rosen, Laura. "Chicken Tikka Masala." Britannica > Entertainment & Pop Culture > Food. Oct. 22, 2014.
Available @ https://www.britannica.com/topic/chicken-tikka-masala

TNN. "Chicken Tikka Salad Recipe." Times Food > Recipes. Aug. 27, 2020.
Available @ https://recipes.timesofindia.com/us/recipes/chicken-tikka-salad/rs53807240.cms

Your Food Lab. "Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad." Facebook. Sep. 23, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/yourfoodlab/videos/chicken-tikka-caesar-salad/1671939003123432/

Your Food Lab. "Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad by Chef Sanjyot Keer. An extra kick to the traditional Caesar salad." Facebook. Feb. 4, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/yourfoodlab/posts/1938399919810671

Your Food Lab. "Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad by Sanjyot Keer." YouTube. May 19, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0zzKq1X4g