The number of bandis selling corn has gone up and one sees corn being roasted over charcoal in almost every lane in the city. So, this week, we bring you three recipes using corn —
easily one of the most useful yet ignored components to a delicious dish. These recipes, from famous food bloggers Siri and Prashanthi, are easy and quick to prepare.
Corn Salad
Ingredients
2 cups sweet corn kernels
2 green chillies, very finely sliced
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tbsp oil
Few curry leaves
½ tsp minced ginger
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
½ tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Method
Place the corn kernels in a microwave-proof bowl, sprinkle some water and microwave for 3-4 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and hing. Once it starts to pop, add ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute. Finally add the corn.
Mix well and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and serve. You can sprinkle some grated coconut on top as well.
Corn lollipops
2 garlic pods finely chopped
½ inch ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped onions
1½ cups of corn kernels
6-7 cubes (1 inch cubes) of paneer (you could substitute it with mozzarella)
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
1/8 cup corn starch
1/8 cup all purpose flour (maida)
½ cup water
Salt to taste
Pinch of black pepper powder
Oil to fry
Method
Coarsely grind the corn kernels and set aside. In a pan, add two tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies. Sauté until they lose their raw smell and turn golden. Add the chopped onion and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the ground corn, salt and powdered black pepper and sauté till the corn loses its raw smell. Take off heat and let the mixture cool off. Add about ¼ cup bread of crumbs to the mixture and mix well. Take a glob of the mixture and make a small cup out of it and stuff the cube of paneer/cheese in it. Wrap the paneer and mould it into the shape of an egg. Mix the corn starch and all-purpose flour with water to make a very thin batter. Spread the rest of the breadcrumbs onto a platter. Roll the lollipop in the batter and then in the bread crumbs so that it gets uniformly coated on all sides. Fry them until they are golden brown. Stick some ice cream sticks or skewers into them and they are ready to be served. Serve with mint chutney.
Baby Corn Fritters
Ingredients
400 gm baby corn
2 cups boiled and mashed potato Salt to season the potatoes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
For the batter
1 cup chickpea flour
1/3 cup corn meal
3/4 cup water — more or less (we are aiming at a thick pancake like batter)
Salt to season
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Oil for frying
Method
Add the baby corn to boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, drain and run some cold water over them. Then drain them. Season the mashed potatoes with salt and cayenne pepper (you can use spices of your choice).
Oil your hands lightly. Take a portion of the mashed potatoes, flatten it and place the baby corn inside and cover the corn. Now, roll it between your hands to even out the potato covering. You will end up with a sausage-like covered baby corn. Mix all the ingredients meant for the batter except the water. Start adding water in small quantities and mixing the batter simultaneously until you achieve a thick but flowing pancake-like batter. Dip the corn wrapped in potatoes in the batter and coat them evenly and deep fry it. Once it starts to turn golden, gently flip them so that they are fried evenly on all sides. Serve with a side of mustard sauce and tomato ketchup.
