Creamy corn salad (esquites)

Everywhere in Mexico City there are food stands selling tacos and enchiladas. But my personal favourite are the ones that sell corn, including equites, or corn in a cup. It's juicy, sweet and salty.

Credit: The Latin Kitchen

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 45 ml olive oil
• 2 white onions, finely chopped
• 1 Serrano chilli, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 ears corn
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tsp dried epazote (see Note)
• 4 sprigs oregano, leaves and stems separated
• 4 sprigs coriander (cilantro), leaves and stems separated, plus extra for garnish
• 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4-5 tbsp aioli
• ⅓ cup cotija cheese (or use feta)

Instructions

1. In a large deep saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, chilli and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until onions start to soften.

2. Reserve one corn cob. With a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels from other cobs. Add corn kernels to the pan along with the reserved cob, bay leaves, epazote, oregano leaves, coriander leaves, and chicken stock.

3. Using butcher twine, tie together oregano and cilantro stems and add them to the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken stock reduces by one third and corn kernels are tender.

4. Remove from heat and stir in butter and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve esquites garnished with aioli, cheese and chopped coriander.

Note

• Find dried epazote at specialist retailers and Latin delis.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.