Before You Start
Walk through an Indian evening market, along a seafront promenade or down a railway platform and you will almost certainly pass a cart selling masala corn: warm buttery kernels in a cup, sprinkled with spice and scooped up with a little wooden spoon as you go. The cart usually has a steamer for whole cobs at one end and a flat griddle at the other, and the snack costs so little to prepare that it appears nearly everywhere. Cooks follow one of two broad routes. Some boil or steam the corn and then toss it with butter and seasoning once it is off the heat. Others cook the kernels directly on a hot griddle in butter together with the spices, which leaves a few of them lightly charred. This recipe takes the griddle route because it tastes fuller, and it points out the boiled alternative for anyone after something lighter.
Where It Comes From
Many chaat dishes can be placed in a particular region, but masala corn cannot, partly because it relies on American-type corn that only became a widely grown crop in India from about the middle of the last century, long after pani puri or bhel puri had taken their regional forms. Once corn turned cheap and easy to find across the country, it became an all-purpose cart snack, and a cupful bought in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore or Kolkata is much the same, apart from small touches. Northern carts tend to add more butter and chilli, parts of the south and west favour extra lemon and sometimes shredded coconut, and the seaside version is often just salt and chilli, eaten on the sand. Together with roasted peanuts and cut fruit, it belongs to a small group of street foods that move easily through every regional chaat tradition while remaining the property of none.
How to Make It
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Prep
Cook the kernels first
If you are using whole fresh cobs, simmer them in salted water for six to eight minutes, until the kernels are soft yet still have some resistance, then let them cool and slice the kernels from the cob. Frozen kernels need only four or five minutes of boiling or steaming. Drain them thoroughly, as water left on the surface makes the corn steam in the pan instead of browning.
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Cook
Fry the kernels in butter
Let the butter melt and foam in a wide skillet or on a griddle set over medium-high heat. Spread the well-drained kernels in a single layer and leave them still for a full minute, which allows a number of them to colour lightly and not merely stew in the fat. After that, stir now and again for a total of four to five minutes.
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Cook
Season with the spices
Turn the flame down a notch and scatter in the chilli powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin, pepper and salt. Keep the corn moving for about half a minute to three-quarters of a minute, so each kernel is coated and the spices toast lightly in the butter, rather than gathering in one spot or burning.
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Serve
Finish away from the heat
Slide the pan off the burner and stir in the green chilli, if you are adding it, followed by the lemon juice and coriander. Taste and correct the salt, chilli and lemon until sour, salty and spicy all register together. Fill cups while the corn is still steaming, since masala corn is far less appealing once it cools and the butter sets.
Swaps That Work
Frozen kernels perform as well as fresh ones and are what most households reach for when corn is out of season. They need not be completely thawed before they go in the pot; simply give them a minute or two longer. A neutral oil can stand in for butter if you want to avoid dairy, although butter is responsible for the dish's signature richness and deserves use when available. Shredded fresh coconut folded in at the end is a frequent addition along the coast of Maharashtra and Karnataka. If you prefer a deeper, rounder sourness, a little tamarind pulp can replace the lemon juice.
Turning the Heat Up or Down
Heat is easy to move in either direction because the seasoning is added after the main cooking and is not part of a sauce. To make a gentler cup, reduce the red chilli powder to a pinch, leave out the fresh green chilli, and let chaat masala and lemon provide interest. To make it fierier, choose a hotter chilli powder and add chopped green chilli, or finish with a few shakes of vinegary chilli sauce, a habit of some vendors in Mumbai. Black pepper brings a sharper, different warmth from chilli powder and is worth retaining in a mild batch because it adds depth.
Where Cooks Go Wrong
Many people fail to drain the boiled kernels well before they hit the butter, and the result is wet corn that steams and never picks up any browning or char. Others add chaat masala and lemon juice early, while the pan is still hot, when both lose their freshness with long cooking, so they are best stirred in last, off the heat. Under-seasoning is a third error, because corn is sweet by nature and needs a confident hand with salt and chaat masala to come across as a savoury snack and not just buttered sweet corn. Finally, leaving the corn to stand before serving lets the butter congeal and the kernels cool into something slightly rubbery, so cook it just ahead of eating.
Keeping and Warming Up Leftovers
To keep: Leftover masala corn will last as long as two days in a covered container in the refrigerator, though it is clearly better freshly made, because the butter hardens and the kernels stiffen as they chill. This is not a dish to cook far in advance the way some chaat parts can be, since the hot-butter finish and the fresh lemon and coriander fade fast. For advance preparation, boil and drain the kernels as much as a day beforehand, store them in the refrigerator, and carry out the butter and spice stage fresh shortly before serving.
To warm up: Put leftover corn into a dry or lightly buttered skillet over medium heat and stir often for two to three minutes until it is hot through, which will also crisp a few kernels again. The microwave is acceptable when needed, but it usually leaves the corn a little soggy instead of browned. Once it is hot, squeeze on some fresh lemon and sprinkle a little chaat masala, as both lose strength during refrigeration.
Safe Handling
Nothing about this vegetarian snack poses a special hazard beyond normal kitchen cleanliness. Be sure the corn is properly cooked before you serve it, and put leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, since buttered warm kernels left on the counter in hot weather are not a good mix. When starting from fresh cobs, rinse them before boiling so that field dirt on the husk and silk does not end up in the pot.