Corn Fritters with Cilantro Dip

Cooking, baking, cooking, baking. Cooking. Baking. Are they the same thing? Or are they entirely different entities? I’ve recently pondered these questions with many friends and was surprised to find that they had differing opinions regarding this topic. For some reason, I just never thought there was any confusion. I’ve always seen baking as a subcategory under cooking. Is baking not just a style of cooking that involves using the oven? Some of my friends however, think that cooking and baking are totally separate. That is, they believe that you’re either cooking, or baking, not both. Let me propose this question to you then: if you’re roasting a chicken in the oven, are you cooking or baking?

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged about savory food. I actually do a tonne of savory cooking, but it just never makes it to cinnamonandcilantro because I feel that people appreciate sweets more. Cakes and cookies are also just naturally more aesthetic.


The first time I had corn fritters was in NZ. I’m not sure but I think that corn fritters as we know in NZ are different from the corn fritters known here in the US. NZ corn fritters, the one’s I made, are lightly pan-fried. American corn fritters, also known as hushpuppies, are deep-fried. I personally like pan-frying them because it produces lighter fritters, which complement the sweetness of the corn perfectly. Want to know a secret? These corn fritters are super duper healthy! In just one of these babys, you get your veggies, your carbs, your protein, and your dose of heart-healthy fats. Need more fiber in your diet? Try substituting the all purpose flour for whole-wheat flour.

I should be writing an article for my school newspaper about National Nutrition month right now, but somehow, I ended up in the kitchen. It happens quite a lot though so I’m not worried. I’ll get back to that article soon enough. Well, as soon as I’m done downing these brain-stimulating fritters…

Ingredients

1 ½ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
½ cup frozen spinach
2 stalks spring onion, chopped
1 stalk cilantro, chopped finely
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp paprika
pepper
salt
cooking spray

For the cilantro dip:
3 tbsp whipped mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 stalk cilantro, chopped finely
cayenne pepper
pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl combine corn, spinach, spring onion, and cilantro. Stir in beaten eggs.
2. Add 1/3 cup flour, pepper, salt, and paprika. Stir well.
3. Spray a skillet and heat until hot. Drop spoonfuls of batter to make fritters. Cook slowly over medium heat until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Serve hot with the cilantro dip.

For the dip:
Combine all the ingredients together and mix well.