The Simple Way To Turn Canned Baby Corn Into A Crispy Bite-Sized Appetizer

If you have a party coming up and no catering on call, it might be stressful to figure out what to feed your guests. Sure, you can buy a nice party platter at Costco, but there's nothing quite like a homemade touch. If you're on a budget and want something crispy and addictive to serve, turn to canned baby corn to make baby corn fritters that are sure to add some unique crunch to your festivities.

This may sound like an odd choice, or one born out of just grabbing whatever you have sitting in the back of your pantry. However, this dish has a long history stemming from India. Corn pakodas, known as bhutte ke pakode in India, are a staple of traditional cooking. This version simply uses baby corn rather than the kerneled kind. Because of this, Indian spices are an extra touch that really makes this appetizer pop. Before you launch into making it, though, some of you may be wondering what baby corn is and how it's different than regular corn or whether you can substitute other corn varieties for these fritters. Well, there's an important reason why baby corn works so well, particularly if you get the canned kind.

You've probably seen baby corn before on veggie platters, in soup, or on charcuterie boards, but you likely don't know tons about it. You may think that, similar to baby carrots, "baby" is a misnomer and there's nothing actually baby about it. If so, it turns out this is one of those foods that aren't actually what you think they are. Rather than being a distinct species of corn, baby corn really is just super young! It's plucked very early in the growing process, generally less than two months after sprouting. Farmers do this before pollination hits and makes all those juicy little kernels plump up. This early harvesting gives you a petite cornlette with a mildly sweet flavor and light crunch.

The fact that it's so young is precisely what makes it great for deep frying. Adult corn has had enough time for the solid cob to fully mature, but baby corn still has a supple and crunchable core. For raw baby corn, you do still need to boil it to get it fully softened before frying. When it's canned, that's not the case because it's already been at least partially cooked before packaging. This saves you both effort and time during preparation, so you can get these hot appies to your guests quicker.

Deep frying things can be a bit tricky, but with a little time and practice, this recipe should be a straightforward one you can make for parties or family dinners with ease. In total, it should take less than an hour to make once you get used to the method. The ingredients are a bit specialized if you want to get truly good flavor, so consider ordering the more unusual ones online in advance.

You need a variety of flour types for the batter, including maida, corn flour, and rice flour. The batter also uses sugar, black pepper, salt, baking soda, water, and Indian spices such as chaat masala. Pick an oil for frying that doesn't smoke easily, such as canola oil. As far as the corn goes, cut each piece in half lengthwise if you want small, toothsome bites for your appetizer platter. Make sure you select one of the canned corn brands that are of good quality, then thoroughly dry the corn before battering it on all sides. Fry it in hot oil until fluffy and golden brown, then serve with your choice of dipping sauce — a spicy chili tomato dip is common. You can also use an air fryer if you want to use less oil.