Curry Leaf Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Chicken salad exists in numerous guises and presentations, with recipes and too numerous to count. You'll see it with celery, nuts, and halved red grapes. With blue cheese and bacon. With tarragon, dill, and chives, With curry powder and raisins. On whole wheat toast. On good, fresh-from-the-bakery bread. On a leaf of crisp iceberg lettuce...

I do love a basic chicken salad, creamy and cool, perked up with the crunch of bits of celery and scallions, sometimes nuts or dried fruits, but I wanted to go a bit outside of the usual box, or glass-encased deli counter.

This chicken salad is easy to make, and has an interesting combination of herbs that make it stand out. To begin, mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves—intensely aromatic and sultry, with no resemblance in flavor to supermarket variety jarred curry powders—are quickly sautéed in oil until the seeds begin to pop and the leaves turn crisp. These will add depth and crunch to the salad. Mayonnaise is mixed in, followed by cilantro, lime zest and juice, jalapeño pepper, fresh ginger, scallions, and mint. This dressing is rich and velvety, but has enough acid, heat, and herbs to be vibrant and bold. Serve it on warm toasted naan and garnish with toasted curry leaves.