Recipe: Curried Corn (Kenya)

Cookbook

Curried Corn (Kenya)

Serves 6 to 8

Although corn is a New World vegetable it has been taken to the heart of much of Africa. It turns up in a variety of ways throughout the continent, from South Africa's mealies to East Africa's ugalis to West Africa's mais grillé. Kenya, in eastern Africa, offers a cornucopia of cultures and cuisines to those who venture there, from the simple dishes of the Kikuyu to the complex curries and biryanis of the coastal Swahili culture. This dish is what happens when Africa's love of corn meets the spices of Kenya's coast. If corn is not in season, you can use an equal amount of defrosted frozen corn.

l tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
l clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon hot Madras curry powder
5 cups fresh corn cut from the cob
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
l cup coconut milk
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the butter in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat until foaming. Add the onion and the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned. Add the curry powder, stirring to make sure that the onions and garlic are well coated with the curry butter. Add the corn and continue cooking.

Combine the cornstarch and coconut milk in a small bowl and add them to the saucepan along with the remaining ingredients, stirring well to distribute the liquid evenly. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes, or until the coconut milk is almost all absorbed.

The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent
By Jessica B. Harris
Simon & Schuster
Hardback, $25.00
382 pages
ISBN: 0-684-80275-9
Recipe Reprinted by permission.