Mexican Corn Salad ~ Esquites

What I intended to be a brief pause in blogging to coincide with my kids' summer holidays and our trip to India ended up being a longer break than I planned. When even my daughter has started wondering recently why I haven't been doing 'my cooking' thing anymore, I realized it was high time to take care of my virtual home and so here I am finally. 

Today's recipe 'esquites' is a simple yet popular fare from the streets of Mexico. It happens to be a vibrant hued corn salad with the undertones of smoky (thanks to charred corn kernels), spicy and tangy flavors. The word 'esquites' comes from the Aztec word 'izquiti' which means toasted corn. According to wiki, there seems to be another variation to this salad's preparation where the corn kernels are first boiled and then sauteed in butter with onions, chilies, epazote and salt. Then it is served hot in small cups and topped with lime juice, chili powder or hot sauce, salt and mayonnaise. 

I didn't follow any recipe in particular since all the versions I found online were basically the same. This is a slight different take over Indian "corn chaat' recipe. In this method, corn kernels are sauteed until charred all over and then tossed with other ingredients to create a flavorful medley and then served warm. Mexicans use a cow milk based cheese called cotija in this preparation. Feta cheese happens to be a great substitute for this hard, crumbly and salty cheese. Similarly substitute sour cream for mayonnaise if you don't consume the latter.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. oil (I didn't use any.)
2 ears fresh corn
1 tbsp. mayonnaise / sour cream
1 tbsp. finely crumbled feta cheese / cotija cheese 
1/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens
2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
Lime / Lemon juice to taste

Directions:

* Remove the husks and the silks from each ear of corn and remove the corn kernels with a knife. Heat a tbsp. of oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add corn kernels and salt to the skillet. Toss a couple of times to combine and cook without moving until charred on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss corn, stir and repeat the process until it is charred on second side as well. Continue tossing and charring until it is uniformly charred all over.

(The above stove and iron skillet method is what traditionally used to prepare the corn for esquites. However I directly toasted the corn on stove-top directly placing one ear of corn using tongs against the flame, until it was slightly charred uniform through out. And removed the corn kernels using a knife.) 

* Transfer the toasted corn kernels to a mixing bowl. Add sour cream, cheese, scallions, cilantro, jalapeno. garlic, lime juice, chili powder and salt if not used before. 
* Toss the ingredients to combine. Taste and adjust any seasonings if needed. Serve immediately.



This goes to blogging marathon #93 with the theme of recipes from countries that start with the same alphabet, "Pick one alphabet - 3 countries". My choice of alphabet this week is 'M' and my first post is from Mexico. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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