This is an easy, perfumed, stir-fried corn dish that can be made with fresh or frozen corn. This may be served with most Indian meals but also goes well with Western-style roasted or grilled pork, duck, and chicken.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4¿6

　　3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

　　1 teaspoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds

　　4 cardamom pods

　　4 whole cloves

　　One 1-inch cinnamon stick

　　2 bay leaves

　　1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

　　1–2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot green chilies (do not discard seeds)

　　4 cups corn cut fresh off the cobs, or two 10-ounce packets of frozen corn, defrosted and drained

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/4 cup heavy cream

　　

Step 1

Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium heat. Meanwhile, combine the mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves in a small cup. When the oil is hot, put in all the whole spices. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, a matter of seconds, put in the ginger and green chilies. Stir once or twice and then add in the corn. Stir for 2–3 minutes. Add the salt and cream. Continue to stir and cook for another minute. Turn heat to low and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until all the cream is absorbed.

　　

Step 2

You can pick out and discard the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves if you are serving those unaccustomed to large whole spices in their foods.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.