Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad4

Middle Path | Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad

Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad

Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad Long ago as part of my english curriculum I had a short story called as ‘A boss came to dinner‘. It tackled a delicate topic of parent and their grownup children’s relationship. Back then it was just a chapter in english floating in the sea of syllabus and numerous other subjects. I hardly paraphrased the story from an introspective point of view. How old was I ? err 13 maybe. The time of furtive crushes, fitting bras and thick friends. I never pondered about the conclusive right or wrong climax of the story.

A successful son throwing a party to appease his boss and his wife. A loud noisy party with several shaded guests. While the old mother stayed in the other corner of the same house. She was old and not cared for. But she forgets all her sorrow and readily puts a smile on her face in front of his guests. She also promises to weave a traditional Phulkari for the bosses wife on her son’s insistence. A simple story woven around complexities of human character. A sacrificial Indian mother who will go to any extent to help her uncaring son. The sad sunken eyes and wrinkled hands……

Im in my thirties today and my father is his sixties. Our relationship of respect changed to more of an informal one after the demise of my mother. Its got every colour of the shade card written on it. With time it is evolving more , as I am maturing and he is ripening while the tree is laden with loads of experiences.

Life is hard at times and its puts us to test every now and then. But each time we emerge stronger and enlightened.

Mirrored relationships, I have seen the good and the bad. I have seen some seemingly cordial relationships but with a distance. Another where I don’t care who you are sort of relationship. Upscale thick as pals relationships and murky scrambling for property relationships. Sometimes its the old on the reverse axis while the young on the front gear relationships.

The ideal for me doesn’t exist. You age and so does your temperament and circumstances, just like the tides in the sea. Most importantly the parents relented when you threw a tantrum but its irrevocably diminishing for you to accept an old parents child-like ideology. Your dreams, privacy,adventure are far more swift than their slow wrinkling thoughts.

In the process we forget what we sow is what we reap. We are everyday sowing the seeds of love, care,respect, obedience, disgust, dejection, defiance or progression and what not….into our children and even for those without kids, basically into all our immediate relationships. The emotions today will germinate into our future when we are old and succumbing to our finale. I hate to be advisory rather love being a thought sewer.

Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them.
They move on. They move away.
The moments that used to define them are covered by
moments of their own accomplishments.

It is not until much later, that
children understand;
their stories and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories
of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones,
beneath the water of their lives.” ― Paulo Coelho

My father is just so adaptive and I love cooking for him. For that matter, I cook for everyone I love.

Good food, good mood and good vibes.

He has an Indian palate so I love adding a bit of an Asian twist to all the dishes I serve. Here is the classic Caesar with tiny chicken Tikkas adding the zing to the perfect salad meal. I love serving this to him because its fresh and hearty.

Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad4

Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad
Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: English
Author: Roy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad: Cos Lettuce leaves are tossed with the classic chicken tikka along with a mixture of garlic-infused olive oil, egg, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, and then topped with some garlicky croutons and a light grating of parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
  • For Caser Salad
  • Garlic bread croutons
  • 2 cos lettuces, torn into rough pieces
  • Large handful of finely grated parmesan
  • For Dressing
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 80ml olive oil
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • For Chicken Tikka
  • 1 chicken breast, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1 tbsp Yoghurt
  • A pinch of crushed saffron strands
  • 1 tsp tandoori garam masala masala (optional)
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
For the chicken Tikka
  1. Marinate the chicken cubes with all the above ingredients and set aside for minimum half an hour to 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180C for 10 minutes.
  3. Then line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the marinated chicken pieces over the paper. Mind it I have not used any oil and it will derive its fat content from the yoghurt.
  4. Then grill the cubes for 10 minutes on each side. Then turn the oven to top heat with maximum temperature and let the cubes get slightly charred on one side. This step gives it the feeling of a tandoor prepared chicken tikka.
  5. Set them aside and while you prepare your salad.
For the dressing
  1. Infuse your olive oil with crushed garlic for half and hour.
  2. Whisk in the egg yolk with some lemon juice and Worcestershire. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in olive oil; whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.
  3. On a salad platter arrange your lettuce, croutons, grated parmesan and chicken tikka cubes. Drizzle the dressing over the top the salad and toss.

Chicken Tikka Caeser Salad

 

5 Comments

  1. That is a smart addition..chicken tikka pieces. Nice to see you back in action. Once your crazy schedule becomes a bit better,w e shall catch up 🙂

    • Thank you Nisha, Your post comes as a blue lining. I am ebbing to come back into action, meet party and feel sane soon. Thank you for the kind words! x

  2. I come to read your write ups than your food! Is it bad? I totally am an addict to your write ups, makes me think, what a thought process to think and rethink of our lives , emotions and change of life style. A food for thought that’s what your blog showcases. I get inspired from your writeups.
    Beautiful captures as always!

  3. That is such a great idea! Your chicken tikka Ceasar salad looks amazing and must be very tasty.

    Lovely writeup and photography.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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