Ecuadorian style corn waffles (humita waffles)
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
The name “humita” comes from the Quechua word “humint’a”, which translates to “cooked corn enclosed in its husk.” Humitas originate from the Andean region in south America and are considered traditional Ecuadorian food. My family has made them for generations; they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
When attempting to make the traditional recipe in Los Angeles, we discovered that we don’t have the same type of corn they use in Ecuador, so we started incorporating corn flour to help thicken the Masa. I used a variation of that recipe, but incorporated with a waffle recipe, so you don’t need to steam inside the husks like the traditional way.
For these waffles, I used Matriarca landrace corn flour for the masa and cooked it in a mini waffle iron. They can also be placed in round ramekins or cupcake tins in the oven.
Ingredients
3 cups of fresh corn
3 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons of baking powder
½ cup of Matriarca landrace corn flour (https://matriarca.com/)
¼ cup of heavy cream
2 oz of mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese
¼ chopped small white onion
1 chopped garlic clove
2 tablespoons of salt
½ lb of butter
Salsa Matcha
Crumbled cheese (I used Feta)
Sliced avocado
Preparation
In a food processor, lightly blend the fresh corn kernels, chopped onion, and minced garlic until it forms a chunky puree. Do not over puree, you should be able to see chunks of corn.
In a large bowl, whisk together the corn mixture, melted butter, egg yolks, heavy cream, corn flour, baking powder and salt. If the batter is too thick, stir in heavy cream about 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches a pourable but still thick pancake-like consistency.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form + gently fold the whipped egg whites and the graded cheese into the corn batter until combined. Do not overmix.
Preheat your waffle maker to a medium-high setting and lightly grease it with salted butter. Pour enough batter to cover the surface of the waffle iron and close the lid. Cook until the waffles are golden brown and crispy, about 5–6 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on your waffle iron; my mini waffle iron was done closer to 4-5 mins.
Top with avocado + salsa matcha & serve w/ an over easy egg for breakfast or as a side for lunch/dinner.
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