Name: Crispy Corn Salt & Pepper
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1½ cup Sweet Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen, boiled until just tender; 3 tbsp Corn Flour, for coating; 1 tbsp Rice Flour, crucial for the shatter-crisp texture; 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper, freshly cracked, divided; ¾ tsp Salt, divided; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying; 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced; 2 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; ¼ cup Onion, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Spring Onion Greens, finely chopped; 1 tsp Lemon Juice

25 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium

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Method

Evacuate all boiling liquid from the sweet corn. Methodically pat the kernels completely dry utilizing an absorbent kitchen towel. Remaining moisture is the adversary of a clean, individual coating.
Relocate the desiccated corn into a spacious mixing vessel. Evenly distribute the cornflour, rice flour, a portion of the salt, and a portion of the black pepper powder across the surface.
Toss the corn well so every kernel is coated in the dry starch. If it will not stick, sprinkle over just a few drops of water and toss again.
Bring the frying oil to a rapid, medium-high temperature in a deep kadhai. Employ a sieve to filter the coated corn, selectively discarding any unattached, excess powder.
Lower the coated corn into the hot oil very carefully. Stand back, since a kernel can burst as it heats and throw hot oil.
Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the kernels are firm, crisp and pale golden. Lift them out with a spider skimmer onto kitchen paper.
2–3 min
In a second wide wok, heat oil over a high flame. Add the crushed garlic and green chillies and toss them quickly for 10 seconds to bring out their aroma.
10 sec
Add the finely diced onions. Toss them for 30 seconds, just long enough to warm them while keeping their crunch.
30 sec
Turn off the heat completely. Straight away, tip in the crisp fried corn, the spring onion greens, the reserved black pepper, salt and a sharp squeeze of lemon juice.
Deliver a final, vigorous toss to marry the components and serve with absolute immediacy.

How to tell it's done

Anticipate a concussive, ultra-light crunch upon breaching the exterior, instantly followed by a pressurized release of sweet, warm liquid, deeply layered with pungent pepper and sharp garlic.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Residual hydration is your greatest foe. Executing a meticulous drying phase guarantees the kernels repel each other in the oil, forging individual glass-like shells rather than fusing into a dense, pakoda-like mass.

What to serve it with

Serve it straight away. Left standing more than ten minutes, it starts to lose its crunch.

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