Minty Fregola & grilled corn salad

Fregola salad

• 1/2 cup Fregola or Israeli cous cous
• 2 ears of corn removed from the cob
• 1/2 hot house cucumber finely diced
• 1 roma tomato deseeded & finely chopped
• 1 thai chilli deseeded & finely minced
• 25-30 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon Canola or olive oil
• 1 handful of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans

Minty chat masala dressing

• 1/4 cup mint flavored extra virgin Olive oil (see last step)
• 2 tablespoons Chat masala spice blend (available at any Indian grocery
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon Honey

1. Toast the Fregola until it turns a pale brown color, add to 2 cups of boiling water. Cover & cook for about 5-6 minutes until the Fregola turns soft. Strain out any excess water and rinse thoroughly with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet till very hot and drizzle the olive oil, when it just begins to smoke, add the corn kernels & spread into a single layer allow to roast on the pan for about 5 minutes on medium high until the kernel begins to develop tiny brown spots. Shake the pan & continue roasting the corn for 2 minutes more. Switch off the heat and allow the corn to brown lightly in the pan's residual heat. Transfer to a mixing bowl along with the fregola.
3. Roll the mint leaves and cut them very fine in a chiffonade. Chop the chiffonaded leaves further using a sharp knife to obtain tiny shreds of mint. Add this to the mixing bowl along with the diced tomato, cucumber, walnut and thai chili.
4. In a smaller bowl combine the lime juice, honey and chat masala & whisk to dissolve the honey. Add the mint flavored olive oil and whisk into a dressing. Pour over the corn & Fregola salad and lightly toss to combine. Place in refrigerator to chill and allow for the flavors to blend. Spoon into bowls and serve with a side of pita chips.
5. For infusing your own batch of mint flavored Olive oil, here is the recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/18078_mint_infused_olive_oil