Friday, 24 July 2015

Crispy Pub Corn!

I had this the first time at My Cafe Latte a common hangout for college goers when I met up with some of my college friends for a quick catch up. This was almost 3 years ago and I loved this snack/appetiser and it has been on my mind ever since. Then, last year we went bowling with some of my cousins to Game On and we ordered this dish which re-tingled my taste buds. Then I went hunting for this recipe online but in vain. Then one day, I came across a blog where a fellow Hyderabadi settled abroad posted this dish and I decided to give it a try. It was came out perfectly and tasted similar to the ones I had it at both the places before. I craved for this so badly when I was pregnant but couldn't enjoy it much, as it became soggy by the time my hubby brought it home. Love him for doing this for me :) Warning: This dish is worth enjoying as soon its off the pan! 



Difficulty level: Medium
Quantity: Serves 6-8 
Prep time: 15 minutes 
Can be served as: Appetizer and Evening snack

Ingredients:
Sweet corn kernels - 500 grams  (Sumeru brand Frozen corn is what I used)
Corn Flour - 2tbsp
Maida - 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder - ½ tsp
Salt - ¼ tsp (adjust to taste)

For Tempering
Green Chilies - 2 big finely chopped 
Garlic Cloves - 2 big finely chopped 
Light Soy Sauce - ½ tsp
Oil for Deep Frying and tempering

Must have tools:
Kadai to fry
Pan to saute
Kitchen towel to drain the oil from corn after deep frying

Preparation:
Thaw the frozen corn by leaving it out for some time and then drain the water out completely after thawing. Ensure there is minimal water on the corn but you should not pat dry. We need some moisture for the flour to stick to the corn. 

Take the corn into a bowl, add salt, pepper powder and mix well. Add corn flour (starch), all maida (purpose flour) and mix so that flours coat the corn. The flour must not form a sticky paste but must be dry. 

Heat oil for deep frying in the kadai. When oil is hot, sprinkle handful of corn in the oil and fry the corn until crispy. This will take 2-3 minutes on high flame. I fried the corn in 4 batches; don't fill the kadai too much, else the temperature of the oil will drop and the corn will absorb lots of oil. 

Once the corn is crispy, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Once all the corn is fried, take 1-2 tsp. oil in the saute pan for the tempering. Can use the same oil in which the corn was fried.

Add chopped garlic, green chilies and saute for few seconds. Add soya sauce, salt and mix well. Add fried corn and mix well until the tempering coats the corn. Fry for few more seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Reality check:
  • Its typically a pub snack but yummy to be served at home too.
  • Yes, its not a very health snack but its great alternative to get kids to eat some corn.
  • You can also team this with a salad (which has a mayo based dressing), this crispy corn will add great texture to it; but add it just before serving and after adding the dressing to the salad. 
  • Works well with Sizzlers as well as a side. 


Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Awe.... I missed you Blogger.com!

 My last post was in December 2013 and OMG it's been more than a year since I posted last. But things have changed a lot for us since my last post. I am now a happy mom of a 4 month old baby boy, Nathan.

He is such a joy and we have been very busy since March 5th this year but nevertheless our food adventures have never stopped. When my pregnancy tests came positive in August last year, I would tell my hubby "You will have a marathon to run these 9 months to fulfil all my cravings" and he would reply "No problem dear anything for you and the baby". I was worried at first that I would have morning sickness which will kill my appetite but surprisingly my baby was very co-operative. I had no morning sickness and I would eat very well. What was more surprising was I had no food cravings! Instead my hubby craved for this and that which would make us wonder who is pregnant!! 

I tried all sorts of food during my 9 months of pregnancy and Praise God I had a health baby growing inside me. He was a bit overweight owing to my big built but he was a healthy baby. And like his parents he was also in a hurry; he was born in 36 weeks via C-section. The doc rushed me into an emergency c-section because his umbilical cord was around his neck. But yeah all went well and he is doing perfectly fine now. 

For the first month, I was very busy with the little one, but once he started sleeping for longer hours, I got bored. So I started making some evening snacks but I din't find time to write the blog. My son is now keeping me awake till 2 am so I thought blogging is the best thing to use my time.  

What actually triggered me is the blog my nephew started writing; have a peek 
http://vivianmcwann.blogspot.in 

Ok then peeps, see you with my next post!