I’m trolling the aisles of Casa del Pueblo, a Mexican grocery here in Pilsen, and I see an end cap display with bags of big, fat kernels of yellow and red (technically “maize negro”) corn. I buy a bag. I’m feeling nutty. Corn nutty, to be exact.
Although I love a good, spicy CornNut, without industrial strength fryers, I think the at-home cook is only capable of producing cancha, the long-lost Peruvian cousin of the commercial CornNut. Not quite the Frito-fied, greasy, salty, crackly through-and-through treat the way a CornNut is, cancha is a cornier snack—more of a semi-popped, old-school healthy-ish version (thus, the “feel-good”).
To roast or fry? was my first question. A cursory search for recipes and hints online for the answer: either. Whatever the cooking method (I tried both), a good soak in water is required. I soaked the kernels for about 20 minutes, but I think a longer dip might produce better results. According to Wikipedia, the commercial CornNut is soaked for three days.
Then I drained and dried the kernels.
To fry: I heated canola oil (enough to fill the skillet by about 1/8”) until shimmering (not smoking) over a medium-high flame, then carefully poured the kernels into the hot oil. It’s tempting to watch the kernels pop and sizzle…until you get hit in the neck with a shower of searing-hot spittles of oil.
A tight-fitting lid is critical for keeping the oil burns to a minimum. And, like making stovetop popcorn, you want to give the skillet a few shakes during cooking -- a far better method than opening the lid, stirring the corn and getting hit with oil and flying kernels. I teach what I learn the hard way.
After 5-10 minutes, the kernels start to brown. I didn’t time the process, but I’m guessing it took 10-15 minutes total. I gauged by the microwave method, waiting until the sound of popping kernels died down to a few (or no) pops.
Pour the browned kernels over a grease splatter screen set over paper towels and newspaper. Sprinkle with Tony Chachere’s [SASH-er-eez – for anyone who’s ever been befuddled by the pronunciation of this Louisiana seasoning]. Wait until cooled. Eat. Tasty.
Conclusion: The fried-in-oil stovetop method, while slightly messier and more conducive to injury, produced a crunchier, corntastic cancha. I will soak the kernels longer and fry in a deeper pot next time to keep the splatter down. The oven-roasted kernels were fine, but didn’t achieve the same level of crispiness and had more of a burnt flavor. Even with the fry method, the center of the kernels remain slightly chewy, like popcorn. The longer soak and fry might achieve a closer-to-CornNut level of crunch.
