Corn ribs

"The possibilities are endless"

This post actually comes from my poor memory forgetting a postscript that I meant to add to yesterday's post. It was a postscript, because it was about vadouvan - that I wrote about a few days ago. The January Coles Magazine had a recipe for the above dish from Curtis Stone - Corn ribs with Vadouvan-spice butter and coriander chutney - in fact it had been my original inspiration for writing about vadouvan, but I failed to mention it I think in my post. Anyway today I turned to it - it was my last little sticker in that magazine - and as I did so I thought it might actually be worth doing a whole post of corn ribs. So here we are.

I began my Google research and found straightaway Nagi Maehashi's recipe from her Recipe Tin Eats website for her version of Corn ribs and as well as the professionalism of her photographs I was quite taken by one of her opening statements:

"corn ribs are apparently a food trend that went nuts a couple of years ago. I’m so unfashionable when it comes to anything – food, fashion, or otherwise – I didn’t even realise this was a trend until I started writing this post today and did my usual obligatory Google research!"

Which rather exactly represents my own position - with virtually everything. And I'm even later than her - her post was dated 2023 - and that trend she mentioned began it seems in 2016 or 2017 - depending on who you favour - which probably depends on which country you come from.

The contenders - in 2017 David Chang's Momofuku restaurants - well one of them - the chef was Max Ng and the restaurant was Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York - began serving the version on the left which was served with squid ink aioli. However, protest came from Australia's Hai Hai Ramen who claimed to have been serving them since 2016 - with miso butter and furikake. So maybe they should get the prize for being first, although Momofuku probably gets the prize for popularising it. Although you'd have to wonder if the Mexicans for one possible source, haven't been doing it for centuries.

Then Ottolenghi got in on the act at his restaurant Rovi, where they seem to have had a few versions - the second shown here is with 'numbing oil, sesame salt and creme fraiche' and the third with smoked apricot ketchup and chipotle salt (I'm coming to the first version):

They were so popular that apparently if it disappeared from the menu for a time, then the customers cancelled. I'm not quite sure when Ottolenghi got into the scene but he certainly popularised it in the UK. So much so that that first version above - with dukkah is, I think the version published on the Cuisine Fiend website - Corn ribs with dukkah - shown here - and also talked about by Neil John Campbell the Rovi chef at the time, who talks about it on the Timeout website.

The Cuisine Fiend lady was very taken with the whole idea of corn ribs - the deep fried version:

"It becomes slightly chewy, wonderfully scorched but bursting with juices provided your corn was spanking fresh of course."

Deep frying seems to be the preferred method for most of the chefs - Stephen Go - a Momofuku chef, in an interview with Anne Meyer on the Chowhound website gives a whole lot of Pro tips including how to cut up your cobs. For this is the trickiest - and the most dangerous part of the whole process. Nagi Maehashi has a whole lot of advice on this as well, but she uses a very sharp and large knife, whilst Stephen Go prefers a serrated one. All I will say is don't get your fingers in the way of the blade, and make sure the surface you are cutting on is very solid. But do look at Nagi's site for this - pictures, video as well as words of advice. Or you can take this advice:

"Nowadays, you can find frozen unseasonable corn ribs in your local shop. You can get those and just apply the seasoning on them if you want to save yourself some hassle." Cory Varga/Yuzu Bakes

Probably safer and there's nothing wrong with frozen corn. It might even be fresher. And did I say - your corn has to be very fresh for this - particularly if you are cutting it up yourself. Not fresh corn is apparently harder to cut.

The other method - or rather methods - is to barbecue, grill or bake on very high heat in the oven. For the fried version it is best to add your spice rubs after the ribs are fried, for the oven or BBQ method rub it on before you cook. The fried ones curl up better it seems, but the flavour probably sinks in better with the grilled or baked version. Give both a go and then decide.

But back to Ottolenghi. For his book Flavour - written in conjunction with Ixta Belfrage - he published a recipe for Corn ribs with black lime butter which you can find on the Burlap and Barrel Spice Forum website. The picture on the left is from the book, and I think I agree with the writer of the Burlap and Barrel Spice Forum when he said it didn't look that great - so I'm adding the picture from the Kitchen Lioness Facebook page which is rather better. They both agreed that this was a case of the taste far exceeding the looks.

The other component of this whole operation - or should I say components - are the things you sprinkle on top after cooking, or the things you dip them into. Which is where that 'the possibilities are endless' quote comes in. You could make a start with one of the three butters that Woolworths features in its section on corn in their current magazine - Pistachio and Parmesan butter; Caramelised onion butter; Gochujang butter

There are also endless recipes out there, so here are just two from random websites: Quick and easy corn ribs - Cory Varga/Yuzu Bakes - the first one that came up and Corn ribs from TikToker Farrah J. on the Spoon University website. The post talks about various versions, and then picks on the one from Farrah J. to present.

If I ever do this - and I well might - I think I might start with Nagi and then if that works try one of the deep fried versions. You only fry them for a minute I gather.

YEARS GONE BY

February 12

2025 - Tonight's dinner - a zucchini

2024 - Allspice

2023 - Nothing

2022 - Snippets

2021 - Missing

2020 - Gnocchi alla Romana

2019 - Nothing

2018 - Lucky dip - chorizo

2017 - Spoilt for choice