From Adelaide’s queen of Mexican cuisine, Daniella Guevara Muñoz, this grilled corn on the cob is just one of the many delectable recipes in new book, Provecho.
Walk around any plaza or market in Mexico and you will find a corn stall or puesto de elotes. Elotes are fresh cobs of corn roasted on a little barbecue or boiled on a street cart – hence callejero, which means ‘from the street’. At high school, my friends and I would walk to the nearby Plaza Coyoacán just to have one of these – or Esquites – while we loitered around or sat on a park bench to people-watch and gossip. These aren’t too dissimilar to the corn on the cob you’ll find in other parts of the world, but Mexicans like to go a bit extra and bold with the flavours. We cover the cooked cob with mayonnaise and sprinkle it with crumbled cheese, chilli and lime. A messy but delicious business. I don’t know why, but the only fresh corn you find in Australia is sweet corn, while in Mexico this type of corn is not common. The flavour of Mexican fresh corn is more starchy and not so sweet; the kernels are also less juicy. If you can’t find non-sweet corn or fresh maize, use sweet corn. Usually, the corn is boiled, and some places sell them charred, which I prefer for sweet corn.
Serves 4
4 corn cobs with husks on
4 wooden skewers (see Tip)
150 g (5½ oz) whole-egg mayonnaise
200 g (7 oz) grated queso cotija or ricotta salata
chilli powder, to sprinkle
2 limes, halved
Place the corn cobs on a hot barbecue and grill for 30 minutes, turning regularly. The husk will protect the corn from burning. After 20 minutes, remove the burnt husks and fibres and char the cob until the kernels get some colour, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the fire and stick the wooden skewers into the cobs. Cover the warm cobs with mayonnaise and sprinkle with cheese until fully covered. Sprinkle with chilli powder. Squeeze a little lime over the corn and enjoy.
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Tip: It is hard to find solid skewers that will hold the cob, so I use bamboo chopsticks from my takeaway sushi and sharpen them with a pencil sharpener.
Images and text from Provecho: Real Mexican Food at Home by Daniella Guevara Muñoz, photography by Simon Bajada | Murdoch Books RRP $45.
