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Indian Influence: Masala Cornbread
By Jessie Kaur,
Special to The Post
Last year, after coming home during a cold wintery day, I smelled makki di rotis (corn flour chapattis).
It had been snowing and I was chilled to the bone. Entering my parent’s house, the smell and sound of corn flour dough sizzling on the cast iron thavaa (pan) made for a heady experience.
Since then, I have tried many variations of cornbread recipes: sugar, no sugar, white cornmeal, yellow cornmeal, flour, no flour, milk, buttermilk, and so forth.
All this experimentation has led to my Spicy Masala Cornbread recipe.
Hot out of the oven, it is ideal with generous dabs of butter, or a drizzle of honey.
At room temperature, try it with a cup of hot chai or coffee.
If you happen to have leftovers, this soul-food can be transformed into scrumptious stuffing.
Jessie Kaur is an aspiring chef and food blogger based in the Lower Mainland. Visit her blog at www.indianinfluence.ca.
Recipe
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 2/3 cup melted butter
Additions:
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 2 chipotle peppers, chopped (from a can)
• 1 tablespoon masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, take the melted butter and combine with the sugar.
Whisk in the egg.
Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk. Add salt, cornmeal, and flour.
Mix in all the additions. Mix well but do not overdo it. Add batter to a greased 8-inch baking dish take your spatula to smooth out the mixture.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Prick the center with a toothpick. It should come out clean. If not, continue to bake a couple of minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean.
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