Chef notes
I absolutely love cornbread for reasons that may not have any scientific backing. Perhaps it's the crumb, or the color (love everything yellow) or the fact that I grew up eating those huge corn muffins from the deli, sliced in half lightly toasted and smeared with melted butter. But as a grown-up, my tastes and outlook on food has elevated to be a bit more sustainable. And that's why I love my cornbread recipe. It's portioned for two, vegan and full of zesty Indian flavors. It's a sure Thanksgiving table crowd-pleaser!
Technique tip: If eating immediately, serve it warm! If packing it up for an adventure, once the cornbread has cooled, cut and place in an air-tight container. Separately pack your chilled butter in a small container. By the time you get to your destination, the butter will have become room temperature, so you directly "dunk" your cornbread into the butter and indulge!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (stems and all!), plus a few leaves for garnish
- 1 Indian green chile, minced
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 Indian green chile, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/8 teaspoon amchur (mango) powder (optional)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
For the cornbread:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a small cast-iron skillet or baking dish with vegan butter. Set aside.
2.In a medium mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon or whisk, mix together all of the cornbread ingredients until just combined; do not over-mix.
3.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You may see a crack on the top, which is perfectly fine.
For the maple-chile garlic butter:
Using a food processor, blend all of the ingredients together until very smooth with no visible bumps of garlic. Transfer to a small deep bowl and smooth out the top. Place in the fridge to set until ready to serve.
To serve:
Once the cornbread has cooled for 2 minutes, scoop on some butter using a mini ice-cream scooper and garnish with a few leaves of cilantro.
