Tlacoyos 

(Mexican Turnovers)

These turnovers were made with a shell of masa harina (Latin American corn flour). The (non-traditional) filling is leftover Saag Aloo (Indian Kale & Potatoes), from the last post. I had these leftovers, and I'd recently seen Mexico in my Kitchen's recipe for Tlacoyos, and decided it was time to try it! (ITo save energy, I prefer to use whatever leftovers I have as fillings for a recipe like this.) I really liked it: warm, nutritious, and comforting. 

Mexico in my Kitchen Website, How to Make Tlacoyos, a Tasty Street Food

Arepas
(South American Corn Cakes)

These were inspired by Arepa Sports.  I guess you could call these South American corncakes? They're made from a pre-cooked cornmeal, which in my supermarket was sold in the Baking aisle, near the masa harina corn flour.

Anyway, I think I made these too thick, as the inside was still soft. I put some pizza sauce on a couple, and put them in the toaster oven. If you put toast in this toaster, and walk away (or look away) for a couple of minutes, the toast will definitely burn to a crisp ... but the thick Arepas were safe from that.

I liked the combination of Arepas and sauce, but wonder if it's okay that the Arepas came out like that (thick, with the soft inside). I figured, it must be cooked, and also, the cornmeal is pre-cooked ... so it should be safe to eat. I'm glad I finally tried them, and after all, practice makes perfect! (Not that it must be perfect, but you get the idea.) 

Arepa Sports Facebook

Arepa Sports YouTube, How to Make Arepas

Arepa Sports YouTube, How to make an easy recipe - The Art of Making Arepas - Episode 18

Kulche Jawari (Afghan Corn Cake)

The recipe is from Afghan Desserts Made Simple, by Sina Abed. Inspired by @mamas._best_ 's recent post on Instagram, of Jawari (Corn Cake), I just had to make one. This seemed like a good, simple recipe, so I decided to try it.

I made only half a recipe, in a glass 9.5-inch round deep pie dish. I used masa harina (Latin American corn flour) instead of cornmeal, and added a pinch of salt, as well as a little extra milk. It took a while for the cake to start to rise, but it did bake in the 40 minutes the recipe said it would take.

The result was ... Yummy! The cake was light and flaky, and reminded me of Sfouf, a Lebanese cake with saffron. Next time, I might add a little saffron!

@mamas._best_ Instagram, 2 February 2018, [Jawari Corn Cake]

Not-Quite-Sour-Cream Cornbread 

(with some honey)

This is based on the Sour Cream Corn Muffin recipe in Lauren Chattman's Mom's Big Book of Baking. Instead of sour cream, I used an equal amount of whey (liquid) leftover from making paneer (Indian cheese).

As I'd used up all the stone-ground yellow cornmeal, I decided to try Masa Harina, instead. It's Latin American corn flour that's specially meant for tortillas, pupusas, and empanadas. It worked just fine here, combined with the all-purpose flour also specified in the recipe.

Lastly, instead of 12 muffins, I just poured the batter into an 8x8 pan, for a cornbread that I cut into 12 pieces. The result was a light, somewhat sweet, cornbread, that I've been enjoying the last few days. Finally, I managed to get a good photo with my camera before it was all gone! 

Pupusas

These are like stuffed corn tortillas made from masa harina corn flour, and which are popular in El Salvador. The package of masa harina which I bought recently at the supermarket, mentioned that this flour could be used in a variety of yummies, including "pupusas." I looked it up, and decided to try it. As I get tired easily and as I have to be careful what I eat, I couldn't make it this time the proper way, with traditional fillings and with the usual accompaniments. I decided to use as filling, the leftover spiced cauliflower and green peas from the Gobhi Matar Mini Samosas, pictured a couple of days ago. I had exactly enough filling for the amount of masa (dough) that I made!

I think everything went well regarding cooking them (except for burning the pan), but I'm not sure if these look like real pupusas, as I've never had any before. I made the first few without any oil, as I've heard is traditional -- which is why the pan was burned a bit -- and the last ones with a minimal amount of oil. I did enjoy them, but have been wondering since then if they look like they're supposed to. They remind me of what I imagine stuffed makki roti (Indian flatbread made of corn) would look like. 

Archana's Kitchen Website, Gobi Matar Mini Samosa Recipe

Makki Roti, or Makki ki Roti

This is a Punjabi flatbread from India and Pakistan, cooked on the griddle. It's similar to a corn tortilla. It’s often paired with Sarson Ka Saag, a dish with mustard greens. I liked that I didn't have to roll out the roti, and just in general, the process to make each roti was very quick. I made this for the first time several years ago, with a recipe that called for ground-up corn kernels; I almost broke the blender I was using, but not quite, fortunately. I paired it then with Sarson ka Saag, and was so happy that my new Indian friend/roommate enjoyed them! She, in turn, taught me to make chapatis and parathas, so I always remember her when I make Indian breads. 

The recipe calls for corn flour, and what was easily available at my supermarket was a well-known brand of corn flour for tortillas. (The writing on the bag is in both Spanish and English.) The corn for this flour is specially treated, which makes the nutrients more readily available. The recipe I used, from Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes, refers to using this kind of corn flour, so I figured it would be okay. And it was, yay!