Since I now reside in the South (USA), I have tried to sample all the local specialties and delicacies of this lovely region. One of my personal favorites has to be simple and tasty cornbread. So I have tried my hand at making cornbread at home and of course – “Indianizing” it just a little along the way. My Spicy Cornbread is moist, delicious and absolutely flavorful. I often serve warm cornbread right along with tea as a savory afternoon snack.

Now, I do add creamed corn to my cornbread for both texture and flavor. I also prefer the frozen creamed corn to the canned version. But when fresh sweet corn is in season, I definitely do take the advantage and use fresh corn whenever possible. I have also opted to use Serrano chilies in this recipe for their subtle spiciness. Personally, I like my cornbread soft (almost like cake) but you prefer a more dense or coarse texture – just use the coarse grain cornmeal variety.


SPICY CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal, fine grain
1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt, to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ tsp red chili powder, to taste
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp honey (or you can use sugar)
2 eggs
1 cup frozen creamed corn (or 1 cup fresh corn kernels)
5 tbsp butter, melted (or you can use canola oil)
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
1-2 serrano chilies, finely minced (to taste)

8” baking pan or glass casserole dish – lightly buttered or oiled (an 8” cast iron pan also works very well)

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, making sure there is an oven rack available in the center.

In a size medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, black pepper and red chili powder) together and mix well.

In a large size mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (buttermilk, honey, eggs, creamed corn and melted butter) together and whisk to combine thoroughly. Now add all of the dry ingredients to the buttermilk mixture and also add the cilantro leaves, rosemary & green chilies. Mix well to combine all of the ingredients. If the batter is a bit too thick, add a little buttermilk as needed.

Carefully pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 8-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add 2 tbsp of sour cream to the batter for a creamy taste & texture. You can also add 2 finely minced shallots to the batter and feel free to add your favorite herbs to the recipe.



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