Masala corn

Masala corn is an easy and tasty Indian snack combining warm, buttery corn with spices and herbs. It's quick to make, a delicious mix of flavors, and relatively healthy, so feel free to dive in for more.

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In summer, there are a few vegetables we enjoy on regular rotation. Zucchini (especially marinated grilled zucchini) is a firm favorite with all of us. Eggplant is more one I am a fan of than others but we all at least agree on baba ghanoush being delicious. Then corn we'll happily enjoy as a side to a range of meals.

In general, we keep things simple by grilling corn and enjoying from the cob, or making creamed corn if we're having BBQ. But sometimes I'll make it into Thai corn fritters or a salad like Mexican street corn salad as a snack or with other meals.

This popular Indian street food dish is another tasty way to enjoy corn as more of a snack. It's quick and easy to make and you can spice it up or down to suit. 

What is chaat?

Chaat is a broad group of snacks from North India, originally the Uttar Pradesh region. "Chaat" literally means to lick or taste which broadly describes the sensation of eating these bites. You would typically call chaat street food but it's a style of food that are so well loved by many that you often make them at home, too. 

There is no one set rule on what to include, and you'll find many variations. Most start with a base which can be vegetables (like potato, corn or chickpeas), crackers or both.

Then you usually add toppings including chutneys (often tamarind and green chutney) and sometimes yogurt. A key element is some spices, particularly chaat masala, and some garnishes like crispy sev, pomegranate and herbs. 

Some classic examples worth trying are aloo chaat (with potatoes), papdi chaat (with crackers, chickpeas and potatoes) and panipuri (small pastry-like balls filled with chutney and other additions).

Masala corn is a bit simpler than your typical chaat, but has many of the key elements. So, you'd probably still consider it a chaat dish. You can add a few additions like diced tomato, onion and sev as a garnish to make it a "true" corn chaat, too (sometimes considered a different dish).

Whether simple, as here, or that little bit more dressed up, it's packed with flavor and so good to snack on.

Ingredients in masala corn

One of the great things about this dish is it has only a few ingredients, and most are really easy to find.

• Corn - the star of the dish! Fresh or frozen corn will give you the best flavor, but you can also use canned corn if you like. Depending on what you use changes how you first prepare it. If fresh, you need to cook it either by steaming the whole cob (or cook in the microwave) or boil the kernels first. Frozen and canned corn just needs warmed through as you finish up in the skillet/frying pan.
• Butter - this adds a little richness to the corn. You can also use ghee or oil instead.
• Chili powder - this adds a bit of spice to the dish. Use a mild or stronger chili, as you prefer, and adjust the quantity to taste. I like Kashmiri chili as it's a bit milder but has a lovely slightly smokey flavor. If you want to avoid spice completely, use some paprika instead.
• Chaat masala - this is one of the few ingredients that can be a little harder to find - it's a spice blend that's core to pretty much all chaat recipes. You can find it in Indian supermarkets, or make your own. It's a tasty mix of tart and aromatic flavors.
• Lemon juice - this adds some fresh tartness, and balances the spice. You can adjust the amount to your taste.
• Cilantro (aka coriander leaves) - this adds a nice burst of color and freshness.
• You can also adjust the taste with a little salt, typically black salt if you have it, as needed. 

As Indian dishes go, it's relatively short on ingredients but it's definitely not lacking in flavor. And best of all, it's really as quick and easy to make. All you do is cook the corn, or simply skip to warming it in butter if frozen/canned, then add in the spices. Mix in the cilantro off the heat so you keep all it's freshness then enjoy warm.

The quantities are very much a guide, as it's one of those dishes you are best to adapt to taste. You would typically enjoy it just as it is, but it would also work well scooped up with crackers or alongside other chaat dishes. 

Masala corn is an easy and tasty Indian dish that's a delicious, relatively healthy snack. Great on it's own, or with other chaat dishes for a snacking feast. It's lip-smackingly tasty either way.

Try these other snackable vegetable dishes:

• Marinated grilled zucchini
• Apple celeriac salad
• Escalivada (Catalan roasted vegetables)
• Plus get more snack recipes and Indian recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

I've drawn on a few recipes for this, including this one from Dasanna's Veg Recipes.

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