I instantly fell in love with Chulpi, Ecuadorian Toasted Corn when I first tried it! Some people think of Chulpi as South American corn nuts, or perhaps toasted corn, but in any case, it is delicious! I love that I can prepare them early in the day, and with a prep time of just 15 minutes, they are a great side addition to our meals. I’m one who loves some crunch with my lunch, and these definitely do that! I love the flavor of the Cilantro Rice, the Tomato Salad, and Chulpi together – it doesn’t get much better than that combo!
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These are the two different Chulpi bags of corn I was able to find at our local Latino market. Now, technically neither one of these are the “actual” Chulpi, unfortunately, we can’t find them here in the states. My in-laws told me the real deal is actually a smaller kernel, but you prepare these the same way, they just have a bit of different flavor.
The one on the left is Doña Isabel – you will notice it has some reddish tips and is much larger than the Maiz Cancha which is on the right. My husband likes both of the varieties of corn, but my daughter and I prefer the smaller – Maiz Cancha.
Dice up your onion and set aside. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat. I always make sure I look over the corn before I add it to the pan, I have found a few rocks here and there over the years. Stir in about 2 cups of the corn, making sure the corn is coated in the oil.
After about 5 minutes of that heating up, add in the diced onion and stir. At this point, I always sprinkle salt over as I stir.
As the corn begins to heat I will place this grease splatter guard over the pan so that the corn doesn’t jump out of the pan. I also use this when making my Homemade Mexican Flautas, definitely comes in handy!
You can find it on via this link to Amazon:
Grease Splatter Gaurd
Keep stirring periodically, salt one more time and stir. I feel like it is so important to salt them a few times while you are toasting them, this really enhances the flavor so much more vs. salting just at the end.
When they are all done, their color will be more of a deep golden color than the yellow that you started with. You see those little black bits? They are the onions and are my husband and father-in-laws favorite part!
You can add them to Chicken and Rice along with the Tomato Salad…
Or along with Fried Plantains or Patacones- just so delish!
Chulpi, Ecuadorian Toasted Corn is definitely one of my favorite side dishes to date! What’s one of your favorite side dishes?
See the Happy!
- 2 TBSP canola oil
- 2 cups chulpi or cancha
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- salt to taste
- Dice up your onion and set aside. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat.
- I always make sure I look over the corn before I add it to the pan, I have found a few rocks here and there over the years. Stir in about 2 cups of the corn, making sure the corn is coated in the oil.
- After about 5 minutes of that heating up, add in the diced onion and stir. At this point, I always sprinkle salt over as I stir. If you have a grease gaurd place over the pan so the corn doesn't jump out of the pan.
- Keep stirring periodically, salt one more time and stir. When you see the corn change to a deep golden color (between 10 and 15 minutes) they are done. Remove from heat and pour in a bowl. Allow to cool a few minutes before enjoying!
OK, yum! I just need the whole plate of food! I have never heard of this before. I obviously need to come to your house for dinner! 😉 I will have to give this a try. Thanks for another amazing recipe! You are amazing!