Whether it’s fine dining or street food, eating out in Mumbai can be a really exciting and fun experience. But sometimes it’s a home cooked meal can be the most satisfying. After all, the concept of fast and easy hasn’t overrun the typical Indian diet to the extent it has in America. Generally, a home-cooked meal in India means that someone will have taken the time to use as many fresh, organic ingredients as possible to create something healthy and hearty. But what’s even better is that in an individual kitchen, you can take advantage of the multitudes of dishes and flavor combinations that restaurants can’t or won’t utilize. India is a country full of different identities and different foods to match each subculture. Sometimes, eating at home is the only way to experience it all.
In that vein, I want to share a recipe I learned a few months ago while spending time with my family: Corn curry. This dish hails from the Southern regions of India and was brought to my Guajarati family by way of my cousin’s mother-in-law. It is now a family favorite. Check it out:
What You Need:
2 cobs of American Sweet Corn
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. chickpea flour (chana no loat)
1 cucumber, cut into thin round slices
1 green chili, split in half lengthwise
1 ½ tbsp. of vegetable oil
1 tsp. of cumin seeds
1 tbsp. of tamarind paste
¼ tsp. of asafetida (hing)
1 inch piece of jaggery
Tumeric to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
What to Do:
Boil the whole corn cobs and cut them into 2 inch pieces and leave aside. While the corn is cooking, heat oil in a pot. When the oil starts to get hot, add the green chilies, cumin seeds and asafetida. After about a minute or two, add in the cucumber slices and half of a glass of water. Cover and simmer until the cucumbers are tender (about 8 to 10 minutes). While the cucumbers are simmering, whisk together the chickpea flour, tamarind paste and a little bit off water (until it is a smooth liquid) and add it to the cucumber. Let it boil for a few minutes until the mixture thickens a bit. Then add in the red chili powder, jaggery, tumeric and coconut milk. Add in the corn cob pieces and let it come to a boil again. Adjust the thickness of the curry with chickpea flour (to make it thicker) and water (to make it thinner). At this point, adjust any of the seasonings as well. Cook for about 10 more minutes and serve piping hot with rice.
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.