monday makeover sweetcorn
Mexican street corn
Fresh corn has been especially good this year with the hot weather making it extra sweet and delicious. Though there are lots of things you can do with corn, I like to keep it simple, and grilled corn is a favourite. This recipe is from Rohit, one of our Little Bird chefs. It’s a great pre- dinner snack, side or barbecue favourite. The vegan chipotle mayo is a good staple to have in the fridge for burgers, roast veges and for using as a spread in wraps and sandwiches.
Mexican street corn with chipotle mayo
Fresh corn with husk on (as many as you like) Chipotle mayo 1 ½ cup cashews (soaked for 2- 4 hours) 1 dried chipotle (soaked in water approx 4 hours) or 1 tsp chipotle chilli in adobo sauce 3 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast 1 Tbsp dijon mustard 3 Tbsp lemon juice ½ cup water ¼ cup sunflower oil or other neutral-tasting oil ¼ tsp salt (add more to taste) Chipotle lime salt 2 limes 1 dried chipotle ¼ cup sea salt flakes
1 For the mayo, rinse the cashews well and drain the chipotle, then place everything in a blender except the sunflower oil and salt. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, gradually add in the oil. Add salt to taste (as well as additional chipotle to your liking). The chipotle mayo will thicken in the fridge. I usually make it ahead of time so it’s a nice consistency for serving. If you would like it runnier, add a little extra water until you reach the desired consistency. This will store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
2 Make the chipotle lime salt. This is a small batch: feel free to make a larger one. Zest the limes and place on a baking sheet and either dehydrate for 2-3 hours or place in the oven at around 100C for 30 minutes — whichever method you use, your aim is to dry out the lime without over-heating it or you will lose the intense flavour. Place the dried chipotle in a blender and blend into a fine powder (or use a mortar and pestle), place in a bowl with the salt and dried lime zest. This will store in a jar for ages.
3 Husk the corn and either place on the barbecue grill or next to a hot gas flame on your stove. Use tongs to turn the corn occasionally until it is cooked through and lightly charred. On the barbecue, this will take around 10 minutes and on the stove around 6 minutes (it will depend on the strength of your flame).
4 Serve the corn with a drizzle of chipotle mayo and a sprinkle of chipotle lime salt.