we must thank the portugese for having introduced the maize crop in india in the 17th century.a cereal grass widely grown like wheat and rice.maize has a high nutritious value.has high fibre and low fat.lovers of punjabi cuisine will never miss an opportunity to have 'makki di roti' with 'sarson da sag'.this popular food crop is now extensively grown throughout india.
'corn on cob' is the flavour of the monsoon season. in mumbai you will find makkaiwalas or bhuttawalas with their standard equipment of a wooden cart,coal stove and a handmade fan dotted throughout the city.the smell of freshly roasted corn is enticing. when you open the husks and pierce a few of the kernels you can test the corn and the bhuttawallah will put your selected corn on the 'chulha' and roast it for 3 to 4 minutes. 3 or 4 at a time. as normally there is a long wait.
the smoky smell was too tempting for me when i was returning from work yesterday.added to that smell was the aroma of moist earth.something that compels you to get outdoors and bond with nature.i normally buy from balkrishna yadav, a up guy, who has been selling 'corn on the cob' for many many years at the entrance to cooperage bandstand.the moment he saw me there was a large smile on his face and he decided to make four of them for me. one for me and the other three for the family. we live within a stone's throwaway from where he functions.after the bhuttas had reached the tinge of gold and black and when it looked properly roasted, after continuous fanning, he took it out and applied a scallop of butter on the full length of the husk and thenplaced the corn on it; thereafter,he smeared salt, red chillipowder and squeezed a small lemon on to it to give it that tanginess and ran the lemon over.he knew i liked it spicy and he added that extra bit of mirchi.wow,it was just terrific! worth the twenty rupees i paid. at home,gb also roasts bhutta on the gas stove but in comparison to the bhutta over the smouldering charcoal embers it is no patch.
you can grill it,microwave it,steam it or boil it.do what you like. but eat it. you can't but be grateful to nature for providing you with such a manna! and to the portugese too!!
7 comments:
Hi GS,
Glad I'm the first to comment here. There is NOTHING better than roasted bhutta.
I actually describe it in the novel I'm writing!
From memory, you have a blog on Alzheimer's, right? I am about to post something on the subject in the next day or so.
Do let me know what you think.
Keep smiling
David
hello david
it was nice to see your comment.during this season, i have atleast one bhutta a day.and it is either at breakfast time or in the evening.do you get them there?
yes, there is a blogpost for alzheimer's.look forward to seeing your comments.
best regards.
gopal
We have some at home and it is tempting to get the coal fired grill on and make some bhuttas. Thank you for this post, it evoked some lovely childhood memories for me.
Hi, gs!
You are right, there is nothing quite like roasted bhutta, you are so lucky to have Balkrishna Yadav cater to your bhutta cravings! I don't see too much roasted corn around here, but sometimes, during street festivals, the West Indian community will grill and sell corn on the cob, which, although delicious can never quite compare with the fare provided by our Indian vendors!
hi sanjay
thanks for your comments.i am glad you liked the post as it brought back fond memories of your bygone days.i too love to go back to my younger days and think of the wonderful time we all siblings spent together.now we are all scattered and an elder brother is no more.
hi lr
the best form and way of having bhutta is on the mumbai roadside where you pick the bhutta that you want and the bhuttawalla slowly roasts the bhutta on his chulha to the the degree of redness that you desire and later applies your favourite masala not forgetting the utterly butterly delicious 'amul'.
hello david
thanks for taking the lead.bhutta is a very likeable eat and many have liked the post as it recalls fond memories.i have not seen your post on alzheimer's yet.
regards.
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