Grilled Baby Corn with Creamy Butter Beans, Caramelised Shallots and Crispy Pistachios
My recipe for grilled baby corn with creamy butter beans, caramelised shallots and crispy pistachios is inspired by those deliciously addictive dishes from the Middle East that marry different textures and flavours, such as warm chickpea salads. It makes a fantastic snack or starter or vegetable side dish to a meaty main such as an Arabic mixed grill.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Appetiser, Side Dish, Starter
Cuisine: Arabic, Middle Eastern
Servings: 4
Calories: 383kcal
Butter Bean Spread
- 210 g tin butter beans drained and rinsed
- 2 small garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp creamy Greek-style yogurt
Baby Corn
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g baby corn
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 scallions or spring onions white ends only, sliced
- 50 g pistachios shelled
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp fresh dill roughly chopped
First make the white bean dip by transferring all the ingredients to a blender and blend until you have a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.
Use a silicone brush to brush a griddle pan with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, heat over high heat, brush the baby corn cobs with the olive oil as you lay them out on the pan, sprinkle on the salt, and grill for 3-5 minutes until the corn cobs have char marks on them.
Use small tongs to turn the corn over, brush with oil, season with more salt, and once charred remove the corn from heat to a tray.
In a fry pan over medium-high, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, fry the sliced white ends of the scallions/spring onions until golden-brown, add the pistachios and half a teaspoon of ground cumin, stir to combine and fry for another minute until the scallions are almost charred. Add the corn and toss to coat with the spiced, nutty scallion oil then remove from heat.
On a large serving plate, thickly spread the garlicky white bean dip, drizzle on more extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle on the remaining half-teaspoon of ground cumin, arrange the charred baby corn on top, pour on any remaining scallion oil, sprinkle on the chopped fresh dill, and serve immediately.
Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 1364mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 516IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg