Food talk
Corn special
Pushpesh Pant

From homemade sweet corn soup to steamed chat masala sprinkled snack, good old corn has conquered the desi palate

Sweet green peas are an unalloyed joy in winters. There was a time when their seasonal appearance warmed the cockles of our heart and dispelled the chill. Nowadays, the availability of frozen, dehydrated peas has all but extinguished the romance of savouring in the pod’ prepared in a handi or chunki matar with choora but times change and so must the recipes, at least some of them.

The same can be said for makai — corn — that was the stuff celebrated in Hindi film songs — hari thee bhari thee laakh moti jarhi thee, Rajaji ke baag main dushala orhe khari thee etc that too was a seasonal delight. Frozen sweet corn took longer to reach Indian households but when it did it sure made up for the lost time.

From homemade sweet corn soup to steamed chat masala sprinkled snack, it has conquered desi palate. It is so much more convenient now to prepare makai, methi, malai round the year. The corn makes a nice addition to veg-kofta and cutlet fillings and adds lustre to shakahari kebab exteriors. Paneer has traditionally been paired with peas — in a gravy dish — though in recent time karhai and loabdar or shahi versions have put the classic in shade.

We love a paneer bhujia with just pyaaz, tamatar and hari mirch and maybe a little adarak but were pleasantly tickled when our hostess added a few spoonfull of green peas. This is when we decided to enrich the recipe with sweet corns as well. And, as we went along, we thought chunky paneer goes better than the scrambled stuff. The dish that turned out mimics a chat more than a subzi but can be pressed into service as either.

Paneer (cut into bite-sized cubes) 200 gm

Sweet corns (frozen or fresh) 100 gm

Green peas (frozen or fresh) 100 gm

Jeera seeds ½ tsp

Aromatic garam masala 1 tsp

Oil 1 tsp

A large pinch of chat masala (optional)

Salt to taste

Blanch the peas and sweet corn (after thawing, if frozen) in boiling water for a minute and refresh in cold water. Drain. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and put jeera seeds in it and when these begin to crackle add paneer, along with garam masala. Mix well and stir-fry for a minute. Now put in the peas and sweet corn, along with salt and cook for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle chat masala and enjoy! Garnish with sliced tomatoes and green chillies before serving.

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