Recipe and notes by Phoebe Trần of Bé Bếp Photo by Ken Baldwin
This dish is inspired by the many treks out to Flushing Chinatown to eat Sichuan food.
When I came across a version online made by one of my favorite Youtube video bloggers, Ông Thọ, I knew I had to make my own! Instead of using canned corn, this recipe makes the most of sweet corn season, my favorite time of year.
2 whole corns (or substitute with canned corn) 1 bag tapioca flour, cornstarch, or potato starch 2 salted duck egg yolks (preferably just the yolks vacuum sealed) 4 cups canola or vegetable oil 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons Heaven Facing Chili 5 lime leaves 1 scallion
Remove corn husks and discard.
Slice scallion greens at a diagonal and soak in ice cold water to curl while you prepare the rest.
Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the corn, keeping the knife as close to the cob as possible.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add corn kernels. Cook for 4-5 minutes until kernels are cooked, then strain and set aside to cool down.
Slowly add your starch to the corn kernels, stirring with chopsticks, until every kernel is coated. Use as much starch as you need, but don’t feel pressured to use the whole bag.
Microwave or steam your duck egg yolks until heated through.
Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, powderize your duck egg yolks.
Drain your scallion curls and set aside.
Heat your oil in a deep pan or wok over medium-high flame. When you stick a wooden chopstick in, and bubbles rise to the surface, it should be hot enough to fry your aromatics.
Drop your chilies and lime leaves in and scoop out immediately with a fine mesh sieve, then let them drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray.
Next, add your corn. fry in small batches until golden, and drain onto a paper towel-lined sheet tray.
In a separate frying pan, melt butter, and add your salted duck egg yolk. Fry until it foams up and becomes fragrant, 20 seconds, then add your fried corn.
Add your fried lime leaves and Heaven Facing Chili.
Taste and season with salt as needed, plate, garnish with scallion curls, and enjoy!