Baked Corn Fritters with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

I've been buying lots of corn at the market lately – it’s so sweet and tender this time of year but I’ve grown tired of grilling it and slathering it with butter, cilantro, lime juice, and cayenne pepper. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious that way, but it gets tiresome after a while. This summer, I’ve run across a few recipes for corn fritters, but they all involve frying, which 1) I really do not enjoy doing (because hot oil + corn = spatters that cause burns, and also because it fills my tiny apartment with the not-so-nice smell of hot oil), and 2) is not particularly healthy.



I actually did make a batch of pan-fried fritters a few days ago, and, while they were ridiculously good, I felt very guilty eating them. I decided that there had to be a healthier (and less unpleasant) way to get my fill of corn fritters, and so I came up with these. They're just as good as the pan-fried ones, and way better for you, too. Because I love the combination of corn, cilantro, and chili, I decided to add the latter two to the fritters and dipping sauce. The sweet, crunchy, and slightly spiced corn goes wonderfully with the bold and slightly sweet, yet light, dipping sauce.

-----

Baked Corn Fritters

(makes 16 small fritters)

1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 egg
Splash of lemon juice
½ cup water

½ cup milk

2 cups corn kernels (from 2 large ears)
6 scallions, chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon for dipping sauce)
¼ cup chopped cilantro (reserve 1 teaspoon for dipping sauce)
1 small garlic clove, minced

***************

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper with canola oil.

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour – cumin powder) in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg, lemon juice and water, and once it is combined, add the milk. The batter will be thick. Stir in the corn, chopped scallion and cilantro, and garlic.

Drop rounded tablespoons of the batter onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between each fritter.

Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes; the fritters will be golden brown on the bottom.. Remove the pans from the oven after 10 minutes and flip over the fritters. Return the pans to the oven, switching positions of the pans, and bake for an addition 8-10 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and let cool slightly before transferring to a paper towel-lined dish to absorb excess oil (there won’t be very much, if any).

Serve with Sweet Chili dipping sauce.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
¼ teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon chopped scallion
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

***************

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature while fritters are baking for flavors to combine.