Bhutte ki Sabzi – Curried Corn

Growing up in Jodhpur, capital of the erstwhile princely state of Marwar, a city well-known for its beautiful architecture, food and clothes, we had the privilege of trying lots of variations of local cuisine. Gatte ki Sabzi and Ker Sangri became family favourites and close on their heels was my mother’s take on Bhutte ki Sabzi. This recipe is another take – mine!

Kadhi Love Emerges!

I love kadhi just as much as my mother did. One evening in fall with fresh corn ears in the fridge I wasn’t sure what to do with them- boil and use the kernels, roast and smother them with butter and spices or cook them in a gravy. No points for guessing which way I went. I remembered how my mother would cook it in a gravy with tomatoes and yogurt. Not one to shy away from experimenting, I decided to do a Kadhi style gravy.

What turned out was delicious! So here goes.

Here’s what you’ll need for Bhutte ki Sabzi

3-4 Corn Ears,
1 tbsp besan,
1/2 cup yogurt,
1 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder,
1 tbsp oil, (mustard goes well; use any at hand),
2-3 garlic cloves (chopped),
1″ piece of ginger (finely chopped),
1 medium tomato (diced),
1 tsp cumin seeds,
1 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp coriander seeds,
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi; optional),
2-3 green cardamom pods,
1-2 bay leaves,
Salt as per taste,
Water as needed.

Preparation Time ~ 45  minutes 
Serves: 2-3 persons 

Cooking Method: This recipes cooks corn twice, read on.

To cook Corn Ears Using an Oven

If you have the time to plan ahead then I would advise that you soak the corn earns in a large pot of water overnight. Here’s why.

Corn soaks up the water and when cooked in an oven preheated to 350 F, instead of drying up the kernels boil in the steam trapped between layers of husk. Why is love this methods is that it allows me to simultaneously cook the gravy on the stove.

Here’s what I did:

• I soaked the corn ears overnight in a deep bowl of water, so that they were almost entirely submerged,
•  Next morning/daytime, heated the oven to 350 F. You could start at 400 F initially and then reduce to 350 F.
• After that, placed the corn ears (husk and all) on the middle rack in the oven and let them cook turning in between. The skin/husk will become brown and shrivelled. This is a sign that all the moisture has evaporated. Turn off the oven and let them cool before de-husking.

If you do not have an oven at home, fear not, there are alternatives.

Cooking corn on the Stove Top

On a gas stove the easiest method of cooking corn on the cob is to husk it and roast on a naked flame. Be careful and keep turning the cob to cook evenly. In a curry corn will cook while boiling. Roasting will add extra body to the flavour.
Or if you do not have a gas stove, then put a big pot of water on the cooktop. Bring it to a roaring boil and then add husked and cleaned corn cobs to it. Let them cook for about 10 minutes. Remove and drain.

For the Gravy or Curry

Measure yogurt in a bowl and whisk it until smooth. To this add besan (gram flour), turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Whisk again and set aside.

Chop up garlic, ginger and tomato. This recipe doesn’t require onions. But if you like, add half an onion, roughly chopped.

Heat up a deep wok or dutch oven style pot. Add oil to this, followed by the dry seeds and whole spices – mustard, cumin, cardamom pods, bay leaves and fenugreek seeds – in that order. Fenugreek seeds become bitter if cooked for too long, add them last. Then add chopped garlic and ginger. Cook until they become aromatic and turn light brown. Finally, add tomatoes and cook until mushy.

Once tomatoes are done, transfer the yogurt mix to the pot and mix well. Reduce heat to medium and let this cook until it comes to a boil. Since we have used besan, just as in a Kadhi, the idea is to cook it without forming lumps and until the gravy starts thickening ~ 15 minutes.

While the gravy cooks turn your attention to corn cobs / corn ears that have been resting. If you used the oven then husk and clean them then cut each cob into four pieces. If, instead, you boiled the cobs, go ahead and cut them.

And then we’ll bring it all together. By this time the gravy will be thicker than when you began cooking. Continue cooking and check the gravy, stir it well and transfer the corn pieces to it. Cover and let this simmer for 10 minutes, giving it a stir in between.

You can keep it on low heat until it’s time to serve.
I made Bajre ki rotis with a mix of Whole Wheat flour, Besan and Bajra or Pearl Millet flour. These are my take on traditional Bajre ki Roti made in Rajasthan.
I used equal portions of bajra flour and whole wheat flour with 1/4th the quantity of besan. To this I added some ajwain seeds (caraway), salt and pepper and kneaded with water. Add ghee for a softer dough. Roll and cook just like a regular chapati.

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Enjoy Bhutte ki Sabzi with fresh rotis, naans or a serving of rice and some chilli pickle on the side.

Bhutte ki Sabzi - Curried Corn

2018-06-15 07:10:31

Serves 2

A recipe inspired by time spent in Rajasthan and my favourite -kadhi. This Bhutte ki Sabzi is easy to cook and will be a hit.

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

1. 3-4 Corn Ears,
2. 1 tbsp besan,
3. 1/2 cup yogurt,
4. 1 tsp turmeric powder,
5. 1 tsp red chilli powder,
6. 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder,
7. 1 tbsp oil, (mustard goes well; use any at hand),
8. 2-3 garlic cloves (chopped),
9. 1″ piece of ginger (finely chopped),
10. 1 medium tomato (diced),
11. 1 tsp cumin seeds,
12. 1 tsp mustard seeds,
13. 1/2 tsp coriander seeds,
14. 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi; optional),
15. 2-3 green cardamom pods,
16. 1-2 bay leaves,
17. Salt as per taste,
18. Water as needed.

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Instructions

1. Measure yogurt in a bowl and whisk it until smooth.
2. To this add besan (gram flour), turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Whisk again and set aside.
3. Chop up garlic, ginger and tomato.
4. Heat up a deep wok or dutch oven style pot and add oil followed by the dry seeds and whole spices – mustard, cumin, cardamom pods, bay leaves and fenugreek seeds – in that order. Fenugreek seeds become bitter if cooked for too long, add them last.
5. Then add chopped garlic and ginger. Cook until they become aromatic and turn light brown. Finally, add tomatoes and cook until mushy.
6. Once tomatoes are done, transfer the yogurt mix to the pot and mix well.
7. Reduce heat to medium and let this cook until it comes to a boil.
8. While the gravy cooks turn your attention to corn that has been resting.
9. If you used the oven then husk and clean them, then cut each cob into four pieces.
10. If you boiled the cobs, go ahead and cut them.
11. Continue cooking and check the gravy, stir it well and transfer the corn pieces to it.
12. Cover and let this simmer for 10 minutes, giving it a stir in between.
13. Ready to serve!
14. Enjoy with fresh chapati or rice.

Notes

1. You could also cook corn in the oven or over a flame. See recipe details for those directions.

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By Kanika Samra

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