CORN ON THE COB GHASHI – an easy Konkani style coconut based vegan curry made with corn on the cob; a perfect side dish with hot steamed rice or even roti!
Most of my daily cooking is all about traditional Indian dishes and specifically south Indian Konkani style from the coastal town of Mangalore in Karnataka.
Our daily lunch is always some hot steamed rice, a gravy (mostly coconut based) or a dal/cooked beans curry and a simple fresh vegetable stir fry!
WHY A CORN ON THE COB CURRY:
I have already shared many Konkani style dishes but this one is special. Wanna here why? Actually, this is my hubby’s recipe……when he was a bachelor. He was more into home cooking rather than eating out (especially living in foreign country like USA in the 70s) and being a vegetarian, preferred homemade food as plant based vegetarian dishes in restaurants were not a thing!
His go-to dishes were rice with rasam (tomato based soup with Indian spices), some fresh vegetable stir fry, a simple pulao (one-pot; less dishes to wash!) or dosas (rice-lentil savory crepes) which he was famous for and for dessert, he loved to use up a ready mix of Gulab jamuns!
This corn curry or "ghashi" (as we call a Konkani coconut based curry with tempering of mustard and curry leaves) was and is his favorite to date! Whenever he was invited for a potluck, this was the only dish everyone wanted him to bring! It is weird but it has taken me this long to share his recipe with you but with a few small changes!
BASIC INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
- Of course corn on the cob with some corn kernels (these kernels are optional). If you cannot find whole corn, you can use corn kernels (canned or frozen)
- As it is a typical coconut curry, freshly grated or even frozen coconut (just thaw in refrigerator overnight). You can use unsweetened dessicated coconut too if you cannot find fresh or frozen.
- Some dry red chilies (or red chili powder) and tamarind (as paste or just soak some fresh tamarind in some water and extract the juice) easily found in any Indian store or online
- Spices: cumin (my addition to the basic recipe), mustard seeds, turmeric/haldi and black pepper
- Fat – coconut oil for an authentic south Indian flavor but you could use any odorless or your favorite cooking oil.
- Some curry leaves (optional but when added in the tadka or seasoning or tempering, gives a lovely aroma)
STEPS INVOLVED IN MAKING CORN ON THE COB GHASHI:
- The first step is cooking the whole corn. Pressure cooking is faster and easier but you could do this on a stove top too; just takes longer.
- Making the coconut paste for the curry.
- Adding the cooked corn along with some corn kernels (optional) to the coconut masala and simmering away for a few minutes with salt to taste.
- Final step as is in any Konkani style coconut curry, tempering/seasoning with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
This amazing, lip smacking curry (without any onions or garlic) goes best with hot steamed rice but you could enjoy this with any Indian flat bread like roti, parathas etc. too.
With just a side of salad or a veggie stir fry, a simple and comforting Konkani style meal is ready to dig into!
Hope you do make this the next time you get whole corn (fresh or even frozen) and make it your favorite go-to south Indian curry.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
This corn curry is so good, it has been shared along with other corn on the cob recipes by eminent bloggers and chefs of India in the popular magazine Architectural Digest India! Yayyyy! Feel so honored and excited.
Please check out the article here.
Here are some more easy to make south Indian curries we love:
Lets make some corn ghashi!
An easy Konkani style coconut based vegan curry made with corn on the cob; a perfect side dish with hot steamed rice or even roti!
Ingredients
- 2 whole corns, dehusked
- 1 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
- 8 to 10 dry red chilies (mix of byadgi/Kashmiri and Guntur); byadgi for the color and Guntur variety for the heat (or you can use red chili powder)
- ½ tsp to ¾ tsp tamarind paste (or soak a small lemon sized ball of tamarind in hot water to extract tamarind juice)
- 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
- ½ cup sweet corn kernels; optional but adds more texture to the curry
- 1 tsp coconut oil,
- ¼ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- Few curry leaves
Instructions
- Dehusk the whole corn and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
- Once the pressure reduces, remove from pan and cut into 3 pieces each. Set aside.
- In a blender jar, make a fine paste of roasted red chilies, tamarind paste, cumin seeds and grated coconut. If adding tamarind juice, add with other ingredients.
- In a deep saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil and sauté sweet corn kernels on medium heat along with haldi and black pepper powder for a few minutes until the corn is slightly charred and cooked.
- Add the coconut paste and add enough water to make a gravy thin enough to enjoy with rice. (Rinse the blender jar and add to the gravy).
- Sprinkle salt to taste and bring to a boil. At this stage, you can add tamarind paste if using. Once it comes to a boil, add the cut corn on the cobs and mix well.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile make the tempering.
- Heat coconut oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds splutter and crackle, add curry leaves and immediately add to the simmering corn ghashi. Mix well and serve hot with hot, steamed rice!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Adjust amount of seasonings, spices and consistency of gravy according to personal taste.
If you cannot find whole corn, just use frozen corn. You can also use green peas (fresh or frozen) along with corn.
Instead of using grated coconut, you can also make this with coconut milk: just add canned or fresh coconut milk for the gravy. Saute corn with spice powders –cumin and cayenne powder before adding the coconut milk. You can thicken the gravy by adding roasted besan/chickpea flour.
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE CORN ON THE COB GHASHI:
Dehusk the whole corn and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Once the pressure reduces, remove from pan and cut into 3 pieces each. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE COCONUT MASALA:
In a blender jar, make a fine paste of roasted red chilies (or red chili powder), tamarind paste, cumin seeds and grated coconut. If adding tamarind juice, add with other ingredients.
In a deep saucepan, heat 1 tsp oil and sauté sweet corn kernels on medium heat along with haldi and black pepper powder for a few minutes until the corn is slightly charred and cooked.
Add the coconut paste and add enough water to make a gravy thin enough to enjoy with rice. (Rinse the blender jar too and add to the gravy).
Sprinkle salt to taste and bring to a boil. At this stage, you can add tamarind paste if using. Once it comes to a boil, add the cut corn on the cobs and mix well.
Simmer for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile make the tempering.
Heat coconut oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds splutter and crackle, add curry leaves and immediately add to the simmering corn ghashi. Mix well and serve hot with hot, steamed rice!
Enjoy!
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!
Made this today, I loved it. I love Mangalore vegetarian cuisine.
Thank you so much! When I procure whole corn, this is one of the dishes my family loves too.
Glad you enjoyed it and yes, a big Mangalorean food lover here too.
I think this sounds incredible!! I'm wowed by the use of corn this way, and in Minnesota, we are just at the beginning of our sweet corn season!!
Mollie
Awesome! Then you must make this easy Indian curry soon 🙂