Nariyal Bhutta (Coconut Corn)

TM gave us a few ears of corn the other day. Usually we'd just boil it and serve it with a little salt and butter, but I was making a bunch of other curries anyway and figured I'd be nice to try a curry recipe with it.

Most of the other curry recipes in the book call for corn kernels. But this one, although it as instructions for substituting kernels, recommends whole cobs of corn. Iyer warns that the final sauce may not look the most appetizing, but assures readers that it is delicious despite its appearance. I can vouch for this! I really enjoyed this curry. Very tasty!

Nariyal Bhutta

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. water, divided
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut or 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded dried coconut, reconstituted¹
• 1-2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 15 fresh curry leaves
• 4 ears corn, shucked and halved crosswise (or 3 c. frozen corn kernels)

Directions

1. Add 1/2 c. of the water, coconut, dried and fresh chilies to a blender and purée.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Pour the coconut sauce into the pan.
5. Add the salt, curry leaves, and remaining 1/2 c. water.
6. Add the corn, arranging cobs in a single layer if possible.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, turning the cobs occasionally, for 20-25 minutes².
8. Transfer corn to a serving platter.
9. Stir the sauce, pour it over the corn, and serve.

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¹ Pour 1/2 c. boiling water over the dried coconut and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Drain and use as directed. ^Back
2 Cook for only 5-8 minutes if using corn kernels. ^Back