My favourite comfort snack

I love corn, or as it is called in India, butta. All over the country, coal roasted corn rubbed with salt and spices (chaat masala) is a typical monsoon treat, and you see many stalls around, with vendors furiously fanning the fire in small iron burners. It is very safe to eat, as I would guess no bacteria survives the high temperature. But I still prefer to have it home made, in two different ways:

1) Just boiled and salted.

2) Roasted directly on the gas burner, then coated with a mix of butter, salt, black pepper and lime juice. It is YUMMY!!!

When we go for a movie, my favourite intermission snack is boiled corn kernels, mixed with butter, lemon juice, black pepper and masala.

Gurtaj's loves his childhood snack of corn and cheese baked on toast. I do a variation of it, adding a bit of chopped onion and fresh coriander.

I put boiled corn kernels, greeen peas and sauteed onion when I want to give some crunch and colour to steamed rice.

Sauteed capsicum, corn and mushrooms is one of my favourite combos.

And I think corn is a must in any vegetable bake (with or without pasta).

At dinner in Kandahar restaurant (Hilton Towers, erstwhile Oberoi), we had an amazing starter of tandoor roasted corn coated with spicy masalas, served on an elegant vintage skewer (looking very much like what a woman would put in her hair to keep her bun together).

Cream of corn soup, of course!!!

At Noodle Bar in Bombay, they serve an amazing starter or fried corn cream cubes, delicious with soy sauce!

And recently, on my friend Lulu's blog, Lulu Loves Mumbai, I read about a tantalizing way to cook corn on the cob in a Goan curry!

Some time ago I got scared off corn, being told that that's what pigs have so that they get nice and fat. But believe me, it was not for long! I believe that any vegetable (including the villified potatoes), if eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy diet, is good for you. And on prodding further, I discovered that corn has plenty of health benefits:

--> Cooking sweet corn, whether you cream it, steam it or keep it on the cob, unleashes beneficial nutrients that can substantially reduce the chance of heart disease and cancer, according to Cornell food scientists.

--> It is a low-fat (!!) complex carbohydrate.

--> Its insoluble fiber is tops at tackling common digestive ailments (like constipation and hemorrhoids) by absorbing water, which speeds intestinal movement.

--> It is a surprising source of several vitamins, including folic acid, niacin, and vitamin C. The folic acid in corn is known to be an important factor in preventing neural-tube birth defects. It's just as important in preventing heart disease, according to studies that show folic acid can prevent a buildup of homocysteine, an amino acid, in the body. Long-term elevation of homocysteine has been linked to higher rates of heart disease; folic acid helps break it down.

--> Is a great source of thiamin, which supports your memory and fights Alzheimer's disease.

--> Contains pantothenic acid, necessary for carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism. Pantothenic acid is an especially valuable B-vitamin when you're under stress since it supports the function of the adrenal glands.

The picture was taken during our drive from Manali to Leh, at Rothang Pass