Curau de Milho, Brazilian Sweet Corn Pudding
Curau, called canjica in parts of the north, is a sweet corn pudding tied to the June festivals of Sao Joao, when corn is everywhere in Brazil. It is made from fresh field corn scraped from the cob, blended with liquid, strained, and cooked down until it sets into something between a custard and a loose polenta. The version here leans on frozen corn, which is picked ripe and sweet, and on soy milk for a little body and protein where the traditional recipe often uses whole or coconut milk. Dates carry the sweetness so no sugar goes in, and the corn's own starch does most of the setting with just a spoon of cornstarch for insurance. The cinnamon on top is not optional in Brazil. Keep it coconut-free and it still tastes unmistakably of high summer.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Frozen corn, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups Unsweetened soy milk
- 4 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cassia cinnamon, ground, for dusting
Method
- Soak the pitted dates in a few tablespoons of hot water for 5 minutes to soften. This lets them blend into a smooth sweetness rather than leaving flecks, so they disappear into the pudding the way sugar would.
- Blend the corn, soy milk, dates, and cornstarch on high for a full minute until as smooth as you can get it. A long blend breaks the kernels down and pulls out their starch, which is what will set the pudding.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids to push through everything but the papery hulls. Straining is the step that separates a silky curau from a gritty one, so do not skip it.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom, until it thickens suddenly and coats the back of the spoon, about 6 minutes. It sets from the corn and cornstarch alone, with no eggs and no dairy.
- Pour into cups or a shallow dish and let it cool. It firms further as it chills, from pourable to spoonable in about an hour in the fridge.
- Dust the tops with ground cinnamon just before serving, the classic finish.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 180 calories, 6 g protein, 4 g fiber, 45 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
