Corn Nuts And Special Delivery
It has been approximately 12 days since my last entry (please be patient with me) and about 29 years since I discovered corn nuts.
Corn nuts are a variation of parched corn. Indians and pioneers ate parched corn almost as a staple while traveling. It was nutritious and took up little space so was considered excellent trail food.
I recently thought of corn nuts because I bought a container of nut mix (called spanish cocktail)at our local gourmet food shop. For $7.00 a pound, you got a variety of dried fava beans, chick peas,spanish peanuts, laguerda almonds,pistachios, and of course, the corn nuts. Very, very fancy considering the fact that originally, the corn variety that is used can pretty much only be found at feed stores and costs next to nothing.
Parched corn was made by Indians by putting dried corn on hot rocks or in hot coals. You can make parched corn by simply covering the bottom of a greaseless frying pan with corn and stirring until the kernels are uniformly brown.
Corn nuts are a little more refined. If you were interested in making your own corn nuts, use one cup of whole corn, bought from any feed or health food store; soak the kernels in two cups of water for three days and keep refrigerated. Then you would dry the kernels on a paper towel, and deep fry them in hot oil, lard, or bacon grease. The kernels will float to the top when done and look slightly caramel brown in color. Take them out and VOILA` You may season them with salt, pepper, chili powder..etc.
My mother came home when I was about 11 years old with a bag of corn nuts. She had spotted them in one of the markets and thought they looked interesting. We all took a handful and decided in unison that they were really yummy. From then on, we would pick up a bag every so often (although I must admit that I never knew they were deep fried til I decided to write about them in this entry)YIKES!!!! I shall have to save the spanish cocktails for special get-togethers.
Aside from recently spotting them in the spanish cocktail mix, I haven't seen any corn nuts sold in stores in the chips aisle or nuts section. This frustrated me because I had suggested their use at Catherine's party this summer, but we were not able to locate any. Since then, I've read that they are most likely sold in more ethnic neighborhoods (well,that explains why I couldn't find any in Westport) or at gas stations. Maybe corn nuts are considered too processed and best kept away from the general public (hmmm...)
This also brings me back to another bundle that my mom came home with in 1978 which totally changed all of our lives. My mother had three children by caesarean section. Back in the day, not to mention that it was third world Viet Nam..and even though my parents afforded the best doctors around...it was probably still not up to par. But anyhow, her c-sections were vertical cuts extending from the lower abdomen all the way up; a good eight or nine inches, maybe more-it is hard to tell with time and fading scar tissues. So after my brother was born in 1971, the doctors recommended that she should have her tubes tied and she obliged; my mother thought that was the end of her baby days.
Imagine the surprise when three years after we settled in this country that was still so new to us, my mother missed a couple of menstrual cycles and found out that she was pregnant. Never mind how we all felt (and I must admit I was kind of embarassed by it for a long time)but how were we going to find a doctor and start all over again? We managed somehow and on December 14, 1978 my little baby sister was born at the New York Infirmary Hospital (now known as New York Downtown Hospital - the only hospital in lower Manhattan)and became the very first US citizen in the family. Her Vietnamese name is Hong - An, which means the grace of God..because naturally, it must have been His will that she came to us when she did (I shall have many more entries about my siblings...i promise!)
She was followed by my father's citizenship in 1983 and myself in 1986. Did you know that every resident after the age of 18 may apply for their US citizenship? I counted the days until my 18th birthday. What would it all mean? How much freedom will I gain? In MY family - zilch!!! The first thing I did though was sent out my application for US citizenship and was called in for interview the following March. By the time April came around, I received words that I was to be sworn in at a special ceremony marking the Centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty on July 5th on Ellis Island. I was blown away; couldn't believe it. What luck! Mikhail Baryshnikov was also sworn in on that very day a couple of rows in front of me. ON the base of the statue the following words are inscribed: All Those Still Yearning to Breathe Free.
I was freed! AND MY LIFE WAS NEVER EVER THE SAME AFTER THAT DAY!!!!!!!!
Corn nuts are a variation of parched corn. Indians and pioneers ate parched corn almost as a staple while traveling. It was nutritious and took up little space so was considered excellent trail food.
I recently thought of corn nuts because I bought a container of nut mix (called spanish cocktail)at our local gourmet food shop. For $7.00 a pound, you got a variety of dried fava beans, chick peas,spanish peanuts, laguerda almonds,pistachios, and of course, the corn nuts. Very, very fancy considering the fact that originally, the corn variety that is used can pretty much only be found at feed stores and costs next to nothing.
Parched corn was made by Indians by putting dried corn on hot rocks or in hot coals. You can make parched corn by simply covering the bottom of a greaseless frying pan with corn and stirring until the kernels are uniformly brown.
Corn nuts are a little more refined. If you were interested in making your own corn nuts, use one cup of whole corn, bought from any feed or health food store; soak the kernels in two cups of water for three days and keep refrigerated. Then you would dry the kernels on a paper towel, and deep fry them in hot oil, lard, or bacon grease. The kernels will float to the top when done and look slightly caramel brown in color. Take them out and VOILA` You may season them with salt, pepper, chili powder..etc.
My mother came home when I was about 11 years old with a bag of corn nuts. She had spotted them in one of the markets and thought they looked interesting. We all took a handful and decided in unison that they were really yummy. From then on, we would pick up a bag every so often (although I must admit that I never knew they were deep fried til I decided to write about them in this entry)YIKES!!!! I shall have to save the spanish cocktails for special get-togethers.
Aside from recently spotting them in the spanish cocktail mix, I haven't seen any corn nuts sold in stores in the chips aisle or nuts section. This frustrated me because I had suggested their use at Catherine's party this summer, but we were not able to locate any. Since then, I've read that they are most likely sold in more ethnic neighborhoods (well,that explains why I couldn't find any in Westport) or at gas stations. Maybe corn nuts are considered too processed and best kept away from the general public (hmmm...)
This also brings me back to another bundle that my mom came home with in 1978 which totally changed all of our lives. My mother had three children by caesarean section. Back in the day, not to mention that it was third world Viet Nam..and even though my parents afforded the best doctors around...it was probably still not up to par. But anyhow, her c-sections were vertical cuts extending from the lower abdomen all the way up; a good eight or nine inches, maybe more-it is hard to tell with time and fading scar tissues. So after my brother was born in 1971, the doctors recommended that she should have her tubes tied and she obliged; my mother thought that was the end of her baby days.
Imagine the surprise when three years after we settled in this country that was still so new to us, my mother missed a couple of menstrual cycles and found out that she was pregnant. Never mind how we all felt (and I must admit I was kind of embarassed by it for a long time)but how were we going to find a doctor and start all over again? We managed somehow and on December 14, 1978 my little baby sister was born at the New York Infirmary Hospital (now known as New York Downtown Hospital - the only hospital in lower Manhattan)and became the very first US citizen in the family. Her Vietnamese name is Hong - An, which means the grace of God..because naturally, it must have been His will that she came to us when she did (I shall have many more entries about my siblings...i promise!)
She was followed by my father's citizenship in 1983 and myself in 1986. Did you know that every resident after the age of 18 may apply for their US citizenship? I counted the days until my 18th birthday. What would it all mean? How much freedom will I gain? In MY family - zilch!!! The first thing I did though was sent out my application for US citizenship and was called in for interview the following March. By the time April came around, I received words that I was to be sworn in at a special ceremony marking the Centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty on July 5th on Ellis Island. I was blown away; couldn't believe it. What luck! Mikhail Baryshnikov was also sworn in on that very day a couple of rows in front of me. ON the base of the statue the following words are inscribed: All Those Still Yearning to Breathe Free.
I was freed! AND MY LIFE WAS NEVER EVER THE SAME AFTER THAT DAY!!!!!!!!
posted by cream cheese dreams at 12:23 PM
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