Creamy, Spicy Coconut Curry Sweet Corn

I love sweet corn. I love it grilled. I love it boiled. I even love it… curried? This recipe is rich and creamy with a smoky-sweet spiciness that really gets your tongue tingling, and the added vinegar and cilantro keep it light and bright.

My Sister-in-Law introduced me to this recipe when she came to stay with us when Cricket was born, and I could not get enough of this surprising combination of flavors. I am thrilled that she has graciously allowed me to share this recipe with you!

Aside from the creamy, spicy flavors in this dish, the thing I really love about it is how flexible this dish is.

You can make it spicy by adding a bunch of chipotle sauce or you can keep it mild by leaving the chipotle out altogether and using a small amount of smoked paprika instead.

You can serve this as a bacon-filled side dish. Or, if your vegetarian/vegan friend is coming over for dinner, this makes an excellent main course if you simply leave out the bacon and substitute coconut or other oil for the bacon fat. It seems my poor vegetarian friends are always given a side salad, and a dish like this will show them that they are not just an afterthought.

If you are serving vegans/vegetarians, and you season your cast iron skillets with bacon fat like I do, you should cook this recipe in a different skillet. Invariably, some of the animal fat will make its way into the food, so using a regular skillet would be the best way to ensure this dish is truly vegan.

When I made this for my parents, I served it with grilled chicken skewers marinated in a simple Indian yogurt marinade (think ginger, garlic, garam masala, and so forth) and a cooling avocado and tomato salad.

A couple of quick notes to help make sure this comes out as wonderful for you as it does for me:

• Use canned coconut milk–the kind you get from the Asian food section–not boxed coconut milk like you would drink.
• I use button mushrooms, but if you want to get fancy, you can use oyster or other exotic mushrooms. These are more delicate so you would need to add these after you add the corn and coconut milk.
• If you don’t have cider vinegar, you can use lemon juice or even a splash of sherry, but you do need a bit of something acidic to keep the dish from tasting too heavy. This is what keeps people coming back for seconds and thirds!
• If you don’t have fresh sweet corn available, feel free to use frozen.

 

Coconut Curry Sweet Corn

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A creamy, spicy take on sweet corn

Credit: my sister-in-law

This dish can easily become a delicious vegan meal by leaving out the bacon and sauteing the onions in coconut or other oil.

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, diced (optional)
• 1/2 large onion, julienned
• 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 ears of corn, cut from the cob (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1-3 Tbsp chipotle sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 bunch chopped Cilantro

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the bacon until it is crispy. Set bacon aside to drain and pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the grease.
2. Caramelize the onions in the bacon grease (or coconut oil if you left out the bacon). When the onions are well caramelized, add the mushrooms and cook until just soft.
3. Add the corn to the skillet and continue cooking until the corn is warmed through.
4. Add the cooked bacon, coconut milk, chipotle sauce, vinegar, and salt to taste, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened slightly. If it becomes too thick, you can thin with a splash of chicken or vegetable stock.
5. Remove from heat and add cilantro. Serve warm.

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