Sweet corn or sugar corn is a variety of cereal grains called maize or, actually, corn. The one that was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico thousands of years ago. It comes in several major types with different starch and sugar contents. These parameters are crucial for breeders and growers.
Based on them, corn is destined for different purposes. It can be food for animals, an alcoholic beverage, biofuel and flour. Or how about the freshly cooked good corn on the cob?
The simple golden delight
The basic recipe that everyone must fall in love with is simply boiled corn. Fill ¾ of a pot with water, add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Stir and then add 4-6 sweet corns to the boiling water. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the corn stay there for 10-12 minutes. Incredibly simple yet so scrumptious.
But there is always room for improvement, isn’t it? To make it even better, you’ll need special sauce. Take 80 g of butter and leave it at room temperature until it’s softened. Then mix it with 1 tbsp of grated parmesan, 1 tsp of smoked paprika and some lime zest. Mix well until fully incorporated, smear all over the corn and enjoy.
This boiled dish is a classic snack. But we here love to share recipes that are not so common for many of us. Broadening culinary horizons is our motto. If you feel the same, join us for some more tasty expansions!
A golden Asian snack
We have another great snack, from India this time. It’s called corn pakoda which is basically just corn fritters. But with an authentic twist.
Use corn on a cob or frozen kernels for this dish. You’ll need 1 ½ cups of sweet corn kernels. Pulse them roughly in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. You don’t want a completely uniform texture but it’s better to watch out for kernels. Whole kernels would possibly explode during deep frying.
Add 4-6 tbsp of corn or rice flour. In India, they usually mix in gram flour. But there is maybe a small chance to find it, so just stick to rice or corn flour.
You need 1 finely sliced onion, 1-2 cut fresh chillies and 1 tsp of freshly ground ginger-garlic paste (1:1). Add more spice such as ½ tsp of cumin, ½ tsp of garam masala, ½ red chilli powder, ⅛ tsp of turmeric and for taste. Mix everything well.
Fill a deep pan with the cooking oil of your choice. Check if it’s hot enough with a thermometer or a piece of dough (it should rise quickly but must not burn quickly). When the oil is ready, start forming small pieces of the mixture into circles. Actually, every form is totally fine. Then drop them into the hot oil. Ladle them out as soon as they are well browned and transfer them to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot or cold, either one will be great!
What do you think?