Mais, corn, young corn kernel, is one of the best for soups, well, Ilokano-wise, Pinoy-wise. Well, besides being boiled and/or grilled on the cob. And the best, for me, is the small "native"
diket (
malagkit, "sticky") white corn. The dish is popular all over, it's called
"sinuwam na mais" by the Tagalogs, the Ilokanos simply call it as "
dinengdeng a mais."
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| Freshly harvested white corn is the best for dinengdeng. The really young and tender cobs. You can test its freshness and tenderness by pinching a kernel--it oozes a milky sweet juice (called "maragatas"). |
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| Scrape the kernels off the cob. Do not wash the scraped kernels or you've wasted its starchy essence. |
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| You can add-in the usual leafy greens like kalunay, marunggay, paria, saluyot, bulong ti sili, and the like. |
Boil the kernels until thick, put in onions and garlic and season it with patis or bugguong juice (just minimally, as the bugguong's strong aroma may overwhelm the soup/broth). Add-in some dried fish, or shrimps, or strips of meat, if you prefer. Just before you serve it, add in the leafy greens.
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| And it's done... Dinengdeng a mais with kalunay. Serve and eat it while it's still hot to enjoy it's thick, sticky broth. |
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| Dinengdeng a mais with marunggay leaves and shrimps. |
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| Dinengdeng a mais with paria leaves and beef strips. |
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| My rice plate with dinengdeng a mais with paria leaves and meat strips. |
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I miss Ilokano food!!!
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