Corn is a vegetable that you frequently see in many appetizers, main courses, or snacks. One of the most favorite treats made from corn is undoubtedly popcorn, our favorite movie treat.
What If we tell you that you can create popcorn by cooking dried corn, would you want to know how? Let’s see the answer to how to cook dried corn now!
How To Cook Dried Corn?
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you should prepare beforehand to make dried corn:
- One package of undercooked dried sweet corn. You can buy dried corn in any local store or supermarket. Dried corn comes in packages, but it’s up to you to decide the amount of corn you want to dry when you get home later.
- 4 cups of water. The amount of water should be roughly equal to the amount of dried corn, so 4 cups of water may be too little or too much. Make sure to vary that.
Other than corn and water, which are the two main ingredients for making dried corn, you will also need some extra spices to make the corn taste yummier, including:
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- One tablespoon of honey or sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons of butter
Now that we have had all ingredients, let’s dive into this dried sweet corn recipe.
Steps:
Prepare dried corn
In case when you cannot find prepared dried corn in the supermarkets, you can do it on your own with no problem. The only matter is that it would take time, but on the other hand, you get to eat your own clean homemade dried corn, which we consider a bonus.
So, how can you prepare dried corn? All you have to do is soak the undercooked corn in water for 3 hours. Then after that, boil them for 1.5 hours.
After roughly 5 hours, take the corn out of the water and let them dry naturally. Until you find the corn’s color turns palely white with shrinking on the outside, you know they have been completely dried. Otherwise, if you have successfully purchased dried corn, we can move to step 2: cook the dried corn.
Cook the dried corn
There are two popular ways to cook dried corn: making popcorn and making cornmeal. We will discuss both tutorials for both dishes.
Popcorn
- Step 1: Using a big kennel and pour your dried corn into it. Remember that each corn seed will turn out to be a big popcorn, so be aware of the amount of dried corn you use to cook.
- Step 2: Turn the stove to medium heat and close the lid immediately.
- Step 3: After 1-2 minutes, you will begin to hear the sound of popping corn. They will mixedly pop all around the pan’s side and lid, which creates a very loud noise.
Keep in mind that you should remove the lid while the corn is popping and the heat is still on. Keep the popping going until the sound becomes less frequent than usual. Only 1 or 2 pops in every second. That’s when your dried corn has successfully turned into popcorn, and you must remove the new corn out of the pan.
- Step 4: Mix your popcorn with sugar, salt, honey, caramel, butter, etc., to make it taste even better.
Cornmeal
- Step 1: Put the dried corn kernels in a blender. You can also use a seed grinder, which can bring a similar result.
- Step 2: Close the cap and start the first run. After 5 minutes, there will be leftover uneven pieces, so you need to go for another round. Ensure to stir the corn mixture up every time you start the blender again, so the whole mixture gets blended evenly.
- Step 3: Continue to blend until you find the corn mixture smooth with no corn piece. Remove the corn and place it into an airtight container for future use.
Note
- Refrain from leaving your popcorn popping in the pan for so long, or you might end up with chewy popcorn. You should reduce the heat and open the lid once you find the little sound of popcorn popping around.
- After cooking, you should store corn products tightly to prevent air, making them less fresh and crunchy than expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What To Do With Dried Corn?
As we have stated in the previous instructions, you can create many corn dishes, including popcorn, cornmeal, etc. It is the origin of kraft caramel popcorn or healthy dishes like polenta. In Latino cuisine, dried corn is used with vegetables to form healthy salads and many many more examples further.
How Long Does Dried Corn Last?
Depending on what condition you put dried corn in, it will last for a certain number of days. For example, dried corn can last for 50 days when stored at room temperature. However, if you store dry whole kernel corn for long-term usage in the fridge or freezer, it can last for months and even years without demolishing.
Suppose you intend to use dried corn in a few days after purchasing. In that case, you can leave it in your cabinet. Same as other food like nacho or even beefsteak, once you put dry corn kernels into the cold temperature, you need a defrost step before reheating it.
What Does Corn Smell Like When It Goes Bad?
When you purchase dehydrated sweet corn and store it at room temperature, there are chances where you can find kernels that turned brown, which is the first sign that corn goes bad.
After that, a stinky, moldy smell will come off from bad corn seeds. If you detect these signs while tossing over the corn, you should remove the ill seed immediately, or else it will start defecting the surrounding dried seeds.
