This is the season for Makka Bhutta or as it’s known by its American name – Corn. I don’t like the American sweet corn, but totally dig the Desi (local, Indian) variety.
Every street corner in Delhi will have a Bhutta wala. You can get them steamed and with a spicy sauce to dip it in or the way I like it – roasted over coals and brushed with lemon, chilli powder and salt. You can eat any number of these, they are fresh, healthy and don’t hurt your pocket.
Ofcourse in trying to keep up with the Americans we have the American sweet corn stalls at Movie theatres that sell the more expensive version. You can get several different flavours, but not corn on cob, that’s roasted and you use your teeth to pull off the kernels. 🙂 Very desi, not stylish at all. But hey, local corn is juicy and tasty. American corn doesn’t taste as good, probably because it’s genetically modified.
Nutritional information – The desi makka is low fat and is a good source of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. It looks a paler version of the American sweet corn which is yellow. The desi Makka is almost white or less yellow. I find some of the desi corn also looking just like the American corn – maybe we have imported the same GM seeds :(.
Corn Pakoras (Fritters)
Remove the kernels of the desi makka, the way they teach in Masterchef Australia. Cut them from all four sides using a sharp knife.
Once you have the kernels, steam them and coarsely grind them in a mixer grinder. Add finely chopped onions, green chillies or red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, besan (chickpea flour), some rice flour, and salt. Mix all into a semi solid consistency that you can make into patties.
I use the Air Fryer to fry them with a brush of oil. The other option ofcourse is to deep fry them. They taste quite nice.
Sometimes I make these pakoras by coarsely grinding soaked chana dal instead of using besan.
They taste great! As a snack, these are far more nutritional than a burger or pizza or any other packaged snack.
Enjoy a healthy snack.
Bindu,
Thanks for the cooking lesson and the glimpse into Indian culture your post offers. What you describe requires a lot of stuff and storage space, and cleaning and time. After all that, who can relax enough to enjoy the food?
Even shucking the US, probably GMO- modified, corn for my two chickens requires time, patience, and a place to dispose of the waste. I have a compost container, which is bottomless, because it is a large, old, clay pot that has lost its bottom, and it attracts flies, wasps and ants in the summer, as well as racoons. I turn it over periodically to dump the contents for Tweety. It can keep her occupied hours, until the ants begin to get to her.
I may have to come to India someday to experience what you’re writing about . . .
Yes you should come to India to experience my home and your spiritual home.
We use a lot of spices and herbs in our daily cooking but they don’t take up a lot of storage space.
Also since we eat fresh food mostly, we don’t need a lot of equipment for storage. I have a 300 lit refrigerator and it contains mostly milk and some “dosa” (crepe) batter. I use the freezer to store organic green peas that I get from a farmer when they are in season.
Vegetables are mostly bought fresh – maybe stored for a couple of days at best.
I guess it’s also because we are used to this way of eating … so probably it doesn’t seem like a lot of work.
I do get tired of cooking sometimes and then we order in. 😊
I gather you also cook for lots of people, who are able or wiling to help. That makes it fun, too.