Bhutte ka Kees (Grated Corn Snack)

Bhutte ka kees (grated corn snack) is a dish I had heard a lot about from DH. I learnt it is a snack specialty of Indore from the Malwa/Rajashtani cuisine. It is traditionally made by grating corn off the cob, then roasting in ghee and spices. Some versions also include some milk.

 

We had just got fresh corn and just tried it out at home. I tried a lower-fat version of it. Would not taste exactly like the ghee-roasted traditional version, but as per DH it was close in taste and yummy. It takes time and some effort (especially to grate the corn), but the results are worth it!

 

This recipe is another entry of mine to the LiveSTRONG with A Taste Of Yellow event. Turmeric, Corn, and Chickpea flour are the yellow foods I have used.

Ingredients:

Corn ears: 4

Green chillies: 2

Ginger: a half inch piece

Chickpea flour (besan): 2-3 teaspoons

Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon

Red chilly powder: ½ teaspoon

Coriander powder: ¼ teaspoon

Clove (laung): 3

Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon

Oil: 2 teaspoons

Ghee: 1 teaspoon

Coriander (cilantro) leaves: a handful chopped fine

Dry coconut flakes (grated khopra): 1 tablespoon

Lemon: 1

 

* For the spice level, you may vary the chilly to your taste.

 

Here’s the Method in Pictures:

 

 

Method:

1. Remove the leafy husks and thread-like fibers (silks) from the corn ears.



2. Using a hand grater, grate the corn into a bowl. Take care that you don’t grate bits of the cob. Using the food processor would not work for this one. A nice exercise for the hands, but the taste of the dish is worth every bit of effort.



3. Retain the liquid with the gratings.
4. Finely chop the green chillies and ginger.



5. Stir in the chickpea flour into the grated corn and its milk. Ensure there are no lumps.
6. Mix the chopped chillies and ginger.



7. Transfer the mixture to a vessel that can be used in a pressure cooker.
8. Heat water in a pressure cooker. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low.
9. Place the vessel with the grated corn mixture in the cooker. Cover the vessel and place a small bowl of water over it to avoid any liquid seeping in during steaming. Steam without the whistle (pressure) like dhoklas/idlis. I cooked it in a pressure cooker for about 20-30 minutes on very low heat. The top surface of the mixture would be cracked, but the mixture would still be mushy. Traditionally, this mixture is directly cooked in ghee/oil – this takes longer as well.



10. Remove from the pressure cooker and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
11. Heat the oil and ghee mixture in a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan. Its preferable to use non-stick else more oil will be required.
12. Add the mustard seeds and roast till they begin popping.
13. Crush the cloves (laung) and add to the tempering. Reduce the heat to low.
14. Add the steamed corn mixture to the pan. Also, mix in the turmeric, red chilly, and coriander powders.
15. Sauté on low heat with constant stirring till the mixture is kind-of dry and crumbly (took me about 20-30 minutes again). The consistency is similar to upma.
16. Turn off the heat and rest for 5 minutes. This makes it drier.
17. Garnished with coconut flakes, chopped coriander leaves, and squeeze of a lemon. Serve with additional lemon. This is the traditional garnish, I believe. I didn’t have the coconut, so absent in the pics.



18. This can be had as a snack or with makke/bajre ki roti.