Mexcian Corn Cakes

These are so yummy! They are easy to make, and would go so well with a variety of toppings. They would also be quite nice cold, taken to a picnic.

The recipe (which is from Martha Stewart) calls for 'Cotija', which "is a crumbly, aged white cheese". I am a resourceful woman, but I am confident that there is no where in Australia where I could find this! I used haloumi instead, because it seemed a better choice than feta (it isn't as strong, or as salty etc). You could probably use some goats cheese too. I will try that next time.

FYI - As I've said before, this is like 'Maize' flower here, and you can buy it in health food shops. What is sold as 'cornflower' in the supermarkets is a thickening agent, and will give you an awful result!

One last thing: The mixture I had left after I'd made about half was quite dry, so I added more water, actually more than I intended to, so the mixture was quite 'wet'. I found this gave a much better end result than the dry ones! The warm water quantities listed below are per the original recipe (another Martha Stewart!), but add more water if you want. By 'wet' I mean that they were kind of sticky, almost sticking to the palm of my hand when I rolled them, but not quite.

1.5 cups corn flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated haloumi (or just slice very thin)

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 2 ears)

3/4 - 1 cup warm water

4 - 6 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying

1) Whisk together the flowers, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the haloumi & the corn kernels. Add the water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the mixture holds together.

2) Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Scoop a heap of the mixture, and use your hands to shape a patty. I could have made mine a little flatter I think.

3) Fry the patties in batches, turning once, until golden brown, or around 3 - 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate lined w/ a paper towel to drain. Add more oil to the pan, if necessary, for the next batch. You can cover them w/ foil to keep warm whilst the remainder cook.