Ginisang Mais

My mom's favorite food aside from prawns and crabs is the corn. She can be satisfied eating steamed corn for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and she will never complain about it. She loves the white corn more than the yellow ones, but regardless of their color, whenever it's corn season, the house expects a lot of corn to be eaten.

Anyway, one time last week, mom was eating white corn for dinner, and I asked her that the next time she buys corn, buy extra 2 cobs for me so I could cook this dish. Mom liked the idea, and two days after, she bought 2 kilos of corn, one we will steam, the other kilo for this dish (so mom could bring some in the office).

This dish was once cooked by dad when I was a kid, and I loved it... I guess I was feeling nostalgic that's why I hoped to taste it again.




Ginisang Mais
{serves 6}

Ingredients:

• 4 white corn cobs
• 1/4 kilo ground pork
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 shrimp bouillon cube
• ampalaya leaves
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  
• water
• salt
  

Directions:

• Shred the corn kernels from the cob.
• In a pot, heat the oil and saute the onion, garlic, and pork. When the pork turns brownish, add the bouillon cube until it melts. Add the corn kernels and stir a bit before adding enough water for it to cook. Add more water gradually if it becomes dry. Season according to your preference.
  
• When the corn is cooked and the broth becomes a little thick, add the ampalaya leaves, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Serve after a few minutes.

Personal Notes:

• The ampalaya leaves will give a bitter taste, so if you don't like that, you can use either malunggay or chili leaves.
• If you're not into pork, you can omit it and replace it with small fresh shrimps, but just use the meat. Take out the heads and the skins first.

Personally, I can eat the dish by itself, no need for rice, but brother and mom loved to eat it with rice. Another good addition would be fried fish on the side, but that's totally optional. Dishes like this can certainly give warmth during the rainy season.

*** Jenn ***