Emergency Substitution – Curried Corn with Zucchini and Toasted Coconut

This is a lesson in flexibility, a term that would rarely be used to describe me. I don’t mean being able to bend my body, although there’s not too much of that going on, but rather being able to react when things go badly and pivot to a suitable solution. This is especially true in the kitchen. It takes a lot for me to try new techniques, and if one key ingredient is unavailable, I’d usually rather switch to another recipe than search out an alternative.

My daughter Ariana, on the other hand, is eminently adaptable in the kitchen. She is constantly trying new things and making substitutions, not necessarily because she has to, but to see how things turn out. She is a much more inventive and experimental cook. And she is constantly telling me how I should be doing things. Sometimes her advice is sound and gets me to think outside the box, other times it seems farfetched and illogical.

Case in point a recent family trip to Montauk.

When we have the opportunity to vacation there, we stay at a small, unassuming house away from the hustle and bustle of the now infamous nightlife, wealth, and glamour. We swim among the pounding ocean waves at a state park and hike along a sheltered bay ending up at a secluded rocky beach. Marci and I walk into town every morning while the kids sleep. When our dog Lyla was with us, she swam in the late afternoons obsessively fetching a tennis ball at a small beach known only to locals. She would shake with excitement and begin to howl as we approached her favorite spot. We all do lots of reading, and we get ice cream at John’s Drive-In at least once a day.

This year we were able to visit for a few weekdays in early September, a week after Labor Day. Even though there was plenty going on, it was quieter than we are used to. While the weather made it too chilly to swim, it was nice to avoid the heat of the summer. We sat on the beach, dipped our toes in the water, and watched a handful of dolphins and thousands of birds gorge themselves on fish just offshore.

As for dining, we ordinarily eat at a restaurant for one nice meal because I usually bring most of our food. For dinners, at least, much of the preparation is done at home where I have proper kitchen equipment, leaving only reheating and perhaps cooking a vegetable for on site.

This year I brought Indian food for us to enjoy as one of the meals. I made Chicken Tikka Masala and apple chutney, so I would only need to steam rice and sauté something green to accompany it. I planned on Curried Cabbage with Toasted Coconut. However, when I started to chop the cabbage for dinner, I discovered it was inedible; brown spots throughout, despite its perfect-looking exterior. I would have to run to the store to buy more or skip the vegetable entirely. My family, of course being calmer than I, suggested switching to something else, a difficult task for me.

Ariana immediately said “This is what you do. We have corn and zucchini untouched from yesterday. Peel and strip the corn from the cob, cut the zucchini into small kernel-sized pieces and proceed with the recipe as if it were cabbage. It’ll be fine.” I was skeptical. I may have even argued that it wouldn’t work; yet, I did what she said. An emergency substitution.

I heated black mustard seeds in a drizzle of oil until they began to pop, then sweated slivers of onion until slightly soft. In went the spices to bloom for a brief moment, followed quickly by the corn and zucchini, which only needed a few minutes to heat up. When it was hot, all the dish demanded was a shower of unsweetened toasted coconut flakes and fresh cilantro scattered over the top before we sat down to eat.

Different from the cabbage I expected to serve, it was delicious. Most notably, the sweetness of the local, end-of-summer corn was a wonderful balance to the heat and complexity of the spices. The cilantro provided herbal notes, and the toasted coconut added a nutty flavor and contrast of textures. The zucchini, as promised, faded into the background. In summer, when the corn is so sweet, I might even prefer it to the cabbage in my original recipe.

I have my daughter to thank for the success of this dish under less-than-ideal circumstances. And clearly I need to calm down and learn from her to be more flexible in the kitchen.

Curried Corn with Zucchini and Toasted Coconut

While perhaps not traditional for an Indian recipe, the sweet corn in this dish is an excellent foil to its spiciness. Or be flexible and use whatever vegetables you have on hand.

serves 4, about 15 minutes

⅓ cup flaked, unsweetened coconut

2 Tbsp. vegetable, canola, or avocado oil

1 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. turmeric powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste

3 ears of fresh, sweet corn on the cob, kernels removed, or one 10 oz. bag of frozen corn

1 small green zucchini, cut into medium dice

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. cilantro for garnish

1. Heat oven to 350 ^oF. Toast coconut flakes in oven on a sheet pan, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat oil over high heat in a heavy pot more than large enough to hold all the vegetables. Add black mustard seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally until the seeds begin to pop, about two minutes.
3. Add onion and stir until just starting to soften, about two minutes.
4. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly to bloom the spices for about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in corn, zucchini, and salt, and sauté until warmed through, about three or four minutes.
6. Mix in half of the toasted coconut flakes, reserving the rest as a garnish, along with the cilantro.

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