I learned to make these from my cooking teacher in Thailand. I’m not sure how authentic they are, as I don’t recall seeing street vendors selling them, but every time I made the for guests at the guesthouse I used to run, they’d fly off the plate before the next batch were even cooked! Serve these with either a sweet chilli dipping sauce, or my not-so-secret-now spicy peanut dipping sauce to die for.

Seasoned amateur-tip: these must be served immediately, and be prepared to keep up with your guests’ demand!

I thought I’d share the secret with you here…

Serves: 6 as entree, or 12 as nibbles

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh cobs of corn
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of besan (chickpea) flour (just double the plain flour if you can’t find besan, although besan is great for adding crunchiness)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of cornfour
• 1 and a half cups of water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• half a teaspoon of salt
• Generous shake of white pepper

Directions:

1. Cut the corn kernels from the cob, and place them in a large mixing bowl
2. Add the garlic and the cornflour, and mix well
3. Add a few tablespoons of the water, and mix it well, working to bind the corn kernels
4. Add the flour, besan, baking powder, salt and pepper, stir in, and gradually add the rest of the water, stirring as you go until you have a smooth batter whose only lumps are corn kernels (you may not need all of the water, or you may need to add a wee bit more – use your common sense on how to handle your batter!)
5. Coat the bottom of your wok with oil and turn up to a high heat
6. Wait until the oil is sizzling hot, and then place one tablespoon-full of batter in the wok – this is your tester, to check whether the oil is hot enough, and to gauge your temperature control
7. Fry the fritters 6 at a time, turning each one just once or twice, and transferring them to a kitchen paper-lined dish once they are crunchy and golden on both sides
8. Pat the corn cakes dry, and serve immediately with sweet chilli dipping sauce or spicy peanut dipping sauce.