Pamonha

Ingredients

Corn

• 12 earsof fresh green corn, with husks

Sweet version

• 200 mlcoconut milk
• 150 gsugar
• 50 gbutter, melted
• 1 tspsalt

Savoury version

• 200 gqueijo minas or a firm white cheese, cubed
• 1 tspsalt
• sausage or chicken, cooked

Equipment

• kitchen string
• a large pot

Directions

1. Strip the husks carefully, keeping the largest and broadest ones whole. Peel the husks off in one piece rather than tearing them, because they are the wrapping and there is no substitute. Wash the husks and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften them. Blanching makes them pliable enough to fold without splitting.
2. Cut the kernels from the cobs, cutting close to the core, then scrape the cobs with the back of the knife. Blend the kernels and scrapings to a thick paste, adding as little liquid as possible.
3. Add the coconut milk, sugar, butter and salt for the sweet version, or the salt alone for the savoury. The batter should be thick, roughly like a heavy cake batter, and it should mound on a spoon.
4. Take two husks and overlap them to make a wide sheet, or fold one large husk into a cone. Spoon in the batter, tuck a cube of cheese into the savoury ones, and fold the husk over into a flat parcel.
5. Fold the ends up and tie the whole thing with string, crosswise. Fill them only two thirds full, because the corn swells and a tight parcel bursts in the pot.
6. Tie them firmly. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and lower the parcels in. Boil for 45 minutes to an hour, keeping them submerged with a plate if they float.
7. Top up with boiling water rather than cold, which would halt the cooking. They are done when a parcel feels firm through the husk and holds its shape when squeezed. Let them rest 10 minutes before opening, because they firm up as they cool slightly. Serve warm, unwrapped at the table, eaten straight from the husk.

Technique

• The corn season is short and pamonha is made when the corn is right rather than to a calendar.
• They freeze well cooked and are reboiled from frozen.
• Curau is the same corn paste cooked as a loose pudding rather than wrapped and boiled.

Substitutions

• Frozen corn kernels with a little cornmeal to thicken, which is a poor but workable substitute.
• Baking parchment or foil in place of husks, which loses the flavour the husk gives.

Variations

• Savoury, with cheese and sausage.
• Pamonha de forno, baked in a dish.
• Curau, the unwrapped pudding version.

History

A sweet or savory paste made from fresh grated corn, coconut milk and sugar, wrapped in corn husk and boiled, documented across Brazil with roots tracing to Indigenous Brazilian culinary tradition, since corn was a significant staple crop for Indigenous peoples across the country long before European contact, closely related to similar corn-based, husk-wrapped preparations found across other parts of Latin America under different names. Its preparation, requiring the corn to be freshly grated while still on the cob for the correct texture, ties pamonha closely to the corn harvest season across Brazil, when the dish is especially popular and widely prepared. Pamonha remains a beloved traditional Brazilian food, particularly popular during regional June festival celebrations tied to the corn harvest.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pamonha?

Pamonha is a snack from Brazil: fresh corn paste steamed in husks, sweet or savory. A sweet or savory paste made from fresh grated corn, coconut milk and sugar, wrapped in corn husk and boiled, documented across Brazil with roots tracing to Indigenous Brazilian culinary tradition, since corn was a significant staple crop for Indigenous peoples across the country long before European contact, closely related to similar corn-based, husk-wrapped preparations found across other parts of Latin America under different names. Its preparation, requiring the corn to be freshly grated while still on the cob for the correct texture, ties pamonha closely to the corn harvest season across Brazil, when the dish is especially popular and widely prepared. Pamonha remains a beloved traditional Brazilian food, particularly popular during regional June festival celebrations tied to the corn harvest.

How long does Pamonha take to make?

Pamonha takes 1 hr of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 parcels. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pamonha?

Yes, within limits. Frozen corn kernels with a little cornmeal to thicken, which is a poor but workable substitute. Baking parchment or foil in place of husks, which loses the flavour the husk gives.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pamonha?

Strip the husks carefully, keeping the largest and broadest ones whole. Peel the husks off in one piece rather than tearing them, because they are the wrapping and there is no substitute. Wash the husks and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften them. Blanching makes them pliable enough to fold without splitting.