The Mexican-style street corn known as “elote” has been steadily making its way onto more and more restaurant menus for some time now. And for good reason: it’s creamy, crunchy and comforting all in one. And like Indian-style corn, it packs a punch of flavor from a hit of lime and chili powder. Though the treat can be messy (beware of cheese and mayonnaise all over your face), there are a few ways to serve it in a convenient to eat way. One of these, I recently spotted at The Beagle, which skewered baby corn and dressed them elegantly with the creamy dressing, cocktail style.
Baby Corn at The Beagle
The other is actually a common variant found in Mexico called “esquites” where the kernels are cut off the cob and served in a bowl. While traditionally, both of these dishes require that the corn be boiled first, Rebecca Goldfarb of the The Social Table recommends grilling the corn first. Here’s her recipe.
What You Need:
6 ears of corn
¼ cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise – store bought or homemade)
3 tbsp sour cream (or vegan sour cream)
Paste of 1 garlic clove
3 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 lime, juiced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ cup Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, grated (omit if vegan)
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
What to Do:
Heat grill and brush with oil. Combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, ¼ tsp chili powder, cayenne, lime juice and cheese in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine salt, pepper, oil and remaining chili powder.
Toss the corn with the oil mixture and grill over high heat until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove kernels from grilled corn and place in a bowl and toss with the cheese-mayo mixture and serve. Garnish with cilantro.
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.