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Choclo con queso
Corn on the cob with cheese
Choclo con queso: giant-kernel Andean corn on the cob with a thick slice of fresh cheese
Ride the train or the bus through the Sacred Valley of Cusco and at every stop someone will hold up choclo con queso: a steaming cob of Urubamba's huge white-kernelled corn with a slab of fresh cheese tucked into a corn husk. The kernels are big, chewy and starchy rather than sweet, and the salty, milky cheese is eaten in alternating bites, sometimes with a dab of uchucuta or ají. It's snack food, a market lunch and something to keep children going on a long day. Fresh choclo is sold frozen in Latin American shops; sweet corn works but is sweeter and softer. Adding salt to the cooking water is the usual misstep, as it can toughen the kernels: season the cheese, not the corn. Andean fresh cheese is generally made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian fresh cheese if needed. Chef's tip: drop a few of the inner husks and a small spoon of sugar into the pot; it brings back some of the sweetness lost after picking.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 Peruvian choclo corn cobsfresh or frozen giant white corn; or sweet corn
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp aniseed (optional)optional, used by some Cusco cooks
- 10 ½ oz queso frescocut into 4 thick slices; traditional queso fresco is often made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) fresh cheese or a mild feta-style cheese
- 4 tbsp uchucuta or ají sauce (optional)to serve
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Method
0/3 doneStep 2: Add 4 Peruvian choclo corn cobs and boil until the kernels are tender and slightly chewy when you bite one, 10–12 minutes for fresh choclo and 6–8 for sweet corn.
12 minStep 3: Lift out the cobs and serve each one hot with a slice of 10 ½ oz queso fresco and a little 4 tbsp uchucuta or ají sauce on the side if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does choclo con queso take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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