3 hours ago
3
Inspired by a corn curry from Maharashtra, today’s recipe has the perfect umami flavour: a bit of heat from the chillies, some gentle sweetness from the sugar and lots of sourness from the lime juice, along with the creamy coconut milk and juicy corn. The sharpness of a fresh, herby chutney with salty butter, meanwhile, makes the perfect topping for barbecued corn on the cob. I often cook the corn straight on the hob, which is a bit tricky, but it’s how we did it when I was growing up in India.
Corn on the cob curry (pictured top)
Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4-6
For the curry
4 corn cobs, cut in half widthways
2-3 tbsp peanut oil, or sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
20 curry leaves
400ml coconut milk
1 tsp salt
For the curry paste
40g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
10g fresh mint, leaves only
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
4 green chillies, stalks discarded, flesh roughly chopped (remove the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat)
1 medium-sized red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp soft brown sugar
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp lime juice
Put the corn pieces in a pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, put all curry paste ingredients and two tablespoons of water in a blender and blitz smooth.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin. Once they start to sizzle, add the chopped garlic and the curry leaves, and cook for a minute. Stir in the curry paste and 100ml water, and cook over a low heat for five minutes.
Tip in the coconut milk, then add the salt and all but one of the pieces of corn. Shave the kernels off the remaining piece of corn, then add those to the curry with 100ml more water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Serve hot with a pile of fluffy rice.
Coriander mint chutney butter corn
Use the leftover chutney as a dip or in sandwiches, or freeze it for another day.
Prep 5 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
4 tsp softened salted butter
4 corn cobs
For the chutney
20g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
5g fresh mint, leaves only
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
2 green chillies
Put all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blitz smooth.
Put the butter in a bowl, add two tablespoons of the chutney and mix well to combine; save the rest of the chutney for another use.
Cook the corn cobs on a hot barbecue or directly over the flame of a gas hob until charred and tender. While the corn is hot, spread the chutney butter on top and serve at once.
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Chetna Makan’s most recent book, Easy Indian Vegetarian: Delicious Recipes for Every Day, is published by Octopus at £26. To order a copy for £23.40, go to guardianbookshop.com
