Corn on the Cob 1, Roasted on Charcoal or a Gas Cooker
Bhuna Bhutta 1, Indian Street Food Style
Mamta Gupta
Freshly roasted bhutta (corn on the cob), on a small charcoal fire carried by the ?Bhuttawallas? on their mobile 'push-cart/shop' on wheels, is one of the most popular and cheap street foods of India. The cobs are peeled and then roasted while you wait, then covered in salt and chilli/pepper, or a special concoction of spices made and jealously guarded by the Bhutta-wallas. Finally, they are covered in fresh lemon juice, making them absolutely delicious. You can?t know what I mean, until you try! They are juicy, sweet, tart and hot, all at the same time. I can see in my mind?s eye a Bbhutta-walla fanning his little charcoal fire with a bamboo & reed fan, to make the charcoal go red hot, before placing the cob on it. I can smell the aroma of roasting Bhuttas sitting here writing this.
It is important that you buy fresh and tender cobs. As time passes after harvesting, it?s sugar is converted into starch and it loses it?s sweetness. When buying, the husks should be straight-not crumbled, greenish in colour-not pale and dry. The ?silks? or the hair that come out of the top end should be fresh and soft, not dry and shrivelled. You can feel the kernel formation by pressing gently through the husk. Pictures here show both methods of cooking on a flame or on a gas-top roasting plate.
Ingredients
4 corns on cob
1 tsp. salt*
1 tsp. chilli powder*
1 tsp. black pepper*
*or use 2-3 tsp. Chat Masala instead
1 lemon sliced into 4 wedges/quarters
Instructions
Pull the husk back, leaving it attached to the base. It can be used as a ?handle? during roasting on a BBQ, but husk catches flame easily, making a mess if used on a stove, as well as a fire risk. When cooking on a stove, remove husks and 'stick in' a skewer at the base of each cob. This makes them easier to handle.
Remove silks completely.
If using a charcoal burner, get it going well, until the coals are red hot.
Cook directly on coals or on a Stove Top Griddle Plate, turning frequently and moving up and down to cook evenly all over, until kernels begin to look brown-black and somewhat crisp. Some kernels will pop, this is fine. Cooking directly on coals/gas makes some of them crispy and gives them that special ?burnt? flavour.
Mix salt-chilli powder-black pepper together. Sprinkle this or the Chaat masala generously all over it.
Now rub the lime in, squeezing a little to get the juice between kernels. Alternatively, you can dip the lime in the chaat masala or salt and pepper mix and rub that into the cob instead.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Kernel of cobs cooked this way, can be removed and served separately, with a dressing of salt-pepper-chilli mix or chaat masala, mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice. This is for people who have problem biting/eating it straight off the kernel.
