Salty Pepper Corn

Salty Pepper Corn

Salty Pepper Corn is a home-style vegetable dish at difficulty 3/5 (Intermediate), about 693 kcal. It's a savory textured snack that is crispy on the outside and tender on the ins. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.

Difficulty

3 / 5

★★★☆☆

Intermediate
Estimated Calories

693 kcal

Ingredients

  • Sweetcorn kernels
  • Salty pepper mix
  • Sesame seeds
  • Oil
  • Starch (flour)
  • Two plastic dustpans (scoops)
  • Paper towels (to absorb excess oil)

Steps

  1. The corn kernels are already shelled. Thaw them directly. You can soak them in warm water for 15 minutes or boil them in hot water on the stove for 5 minutes.
  2. Take one dustpan and label it 'BoxA'. Line it with paper towels and pour in the thawed corn kernels.
  3. Shake, shake, shake! - Shake until all the paper towels are soaking wet.
  4. Take a second dustpan 'BoxB'. Line it with paper towels and pour the corn kernels from BoxA into BoxB.
  5. Shake, shake, shake! - Shake until all the paper towels are soaking wet.
  6. Repeat the above process multiple times until the corn surface has no obvious visible water droplets but remains slightly damp.
  7. Pour in a large amount of starch, enough to completely cover the corn kernels.
  8. Shake, shake, shake! - Shake until the starch is evenly coated on the corn kernels.
  9. Turn on the stove - Put on the pot - Pour in the oil, try to cover the bottom of the pot completely but don't use too much.
  10. When the oil is 80% hot (the steps highlight the Chinese term for 80% prime/hot), pour in the corn kernels coated with starch.
  11. Fry on medium heat for 30 seconds first; do not stir-fry, otherwise the starch will slip off.
  12. Stir-fry gently for 3 minutes, then it is ready to serve.
  13. The most important step: Sprinkle 3g of salty pepper, and sprinkle sesame seeds!
  14. The delicious 'Salty Pepper Corn' is ready.

Notes

It's a savory textured snack that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It has the common 'dry scent' texture found in Sichuan restaurants; when you bite into it, there is the natural sweetness of the corn. Corn provides rich carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Paired with sesame seeds, it supplements high-quality fats and Vitamin E. Although the steps for this dish are a bit numerous, the operation is simple. It requires a little patience to shake off the water and coat the flour, and it is very beginner-friendly. From thawing to serving, it takes about 30 minutes.

Estimated difficulty: ★★★
Estimated Calories: 693 kcal
Category: Salty Pepper Corn

Calculations:
The portion size of this dish is the same as the standard portion ordered in a Sichuan restaurant.

- Sweetcorn kernels (bagged) 350g
- Starch (about 40-70g, enough to coat the surface of the corn in the pan completely)
- Salty pepper powder 10g
- Sesame seeds 10g

Don't peel the corn yourself manually; it hurts your hands. You can directly order 'already peeled sweetcorn kernels' from food delivery apps. After 30 minutes, thaw it with warm water.
If thawing in boiling water is slow, cook it in boiling water! (Make sure not to cook the corn itself, cook the package together, tear open a corner)

If you follow the cooking process of this guide and find any problems or areas that can be improved, please submit an Issue or Pull request.

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