By Jessie Lehail,

Special to The Post

 

Growing up, we would often eat saag (spinach curry) and makki de roti (Indian corn flatbread). I loved eating makki di roti with a dollop of salty ghee (clarified butter) and brown sugar. 

Despite being piping hot, my dad would break up the roti into small pieces and mash the pieces together, merging the butter, sugar, and roti. It resulted in something close to caramel corn, and I would happily eat it without complaint.

Today, my requirement for a snack has not changed. Snacks should be sweet, salty, spicy, and crunchy. Which leads me to fresh, sweet corn. 

This recipe is inspired by Mexican Elote, which is charred corn spread with a buttery sauce, and then rolled into cilantro and spices. 

My version uses fresh, sweet corn grilled and topped with butter that is spiked with garam masala and chili pepper. It’s then rolled into dark brown sugar and eaten piping hot.  

 

• 4 large ears of corn

• 1/3 cup melted butter

• 1Tablespoon ground garam masala

• 1 teaspoon ground chili powder

• ¼ cup of dark brown sugar (I prefer demerara) 

 

Preheat grill to medium/low heat. Remove husks and silk from corn, leaving a bit of the stalks to hold onto when eating. Grill corn over medium heat, turning often, until cooked through and slightly charred. Stir melted butter, garam masala and chili powder together. Brush onto the grilled corn and roll in dark brown sugar. Enjoy piping hot.

 

Jessie Lehail is the author of Indian Influence, a food blog that takes global eats and reinterprets them with a South Asian influence. Visit her blog at www.indianinfluence.ca.