Recipe Bap Xao (Vietnamese Street Corn)

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I recall seeing this win the best dish on an episode of Top Chef last season, and I was waiting until I had good quality corn to make it. My in-laws have been bringing over massive amounts of corn straight from the farm lately, and I can't possibly eat it all. Or can I? This is easy to make, and so good.

You can easily calibrate the heat level by adjusting the type of pepper you use. I like the peppery quality of Calabrian chili peppers, which also add a moderate amount of heat that still allows me to taste the awesomeness of the corn. I've always seen this done with dried shrimp flakes, but I think the bonito (fish) flakes worked perfectly. The sesame oil is also my spin on the recipe...I love sesame oil, but it can be substituted with a neutral oil if you like.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon light butter
1/3 cup green onion, diced
2 tablespoons bonito flakes
2 Calabrian chili peppers, diced
2 ears of corn (about 1 1/2 cups), cooked and cut from cob
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Directions

1. Heat oils and butter in a pan on medium heat. Add onion, bonito flakes, and peppers, and stir continuously for 30 seconds.

2. Add corn to the pan, and scrape up whatever sticks, giving it a good stir. Add fish sauce, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.

3. Serve hot.

 

[buckytom]

Sounds good. Like corn in dashi.

I'm going to try this.

 

[medtran49]

Where did you get Calabrian chili peppers?

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Where did you get Calabrian chili peppers?

Here's what I have in my pantry at any given time:

This allows me to throw together something on the fly without having to plan for fresh peppers. They're available at any supermarket. They're stored in oil, which is an extra bonus: I can stir the oil into different things (like sauces or dressings) to give it an extra bite.