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Pushpesh Pant brings us the delectable makai musallam
In Rajasthani repertoire, there is makki ka soweta and Punjab is rightfully proud of makki di roti paired with sarsaon ka saag — the quintessential winter specialty. Countless are the lovers of corn who nibble at these char roasted and spiked up with spicy salt anointed with lemon juice. What was once seasonal can now be enjoyed the year round. Nor does one have to depend on the canned stuff drenched in brine. Sweet corn kernels are available deep-frozen in convenient packets and baby corn tempts on an everyday basis at mother dairy or neighbourhood green grocers. Once considered exotic, the ‘vegetable’ is now common. In marriage banquets they are giving tough competition to the paneer tikka and mushrooms. We have had baby corn pakoras — interesting but not quite satisfying — and bhuttiyan da kebab crafted out of these-equally disappointing. In the first case, the thick besan batter plays the spoiler and in the second instance, tandoori chaat masala sprinkler hinders the taste of baby corn, or anything else for that matter to come through. This is the reason we were very pleasantly surprised when we were served the makai musallam recently at a friend’s house. Well, the lady of the house insisted on calling it a fusion dish — baby corn in salsa etc — but we felt the term musallam fitted it better. Another guest disputed our suggestion by arguing that the corncobs were not stuffed as the proverbial murg in the musallam is. But we feel that stuffing is a flourish — the proper term for such a delicacy is bharwan as in karele or bhindi. Saalim (whole) is what justifies the prefix musallam. We don’t wish to offend our hostess but do feel that the salsa tastes quite insipid — the traditional Indian khara masala and powdered spices make the little maidens far more enticing.
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The
Chinese have it in one of their most popular soups with or without the
chicken and we have encountered it in a chowder avatar sans seafood to
delight the shaakahari. The Mexicans have tortillas and
on the continent the polenta showcases it.
Method
