Destination
Cuenca
The story
Humitas are the Andean afternoon-tea food: fresh corn kernels ground into a coarse paste with butter, milk, eggs, sugar and cheese, spooned into fresh corn husks, tied at both ends and steamed for an hour into soft, sweet-savoury little cakes. Served warm with a small cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Ecuadorian humitas fall on the savoury-sweet border, unlike the more heavily sweet variations found in Chile or Peru; the cheese is what tips them into a proper snack rather than a dessert.
Method
Blitz the corn kernels in a food processor to a coarse paste (about 30 to 40 seconds). It should look chunky, not fully smooth; some visible pieces of kernel are correct.
Transfer the ground corn to a large bowl. Add the crumbled cheese, softened butter, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, baking powder and aniseed if using. Mix well with a wooden spoon until fully combined into a thick, spoonable batter.
Drain the softened corn husks. Pat mostly dry. For each humita, overlap two husks so the wide ends face outward, forming a rough boat shape.
Spoon a heaped 3 tablespoons of batter into the centre of each pair of overlapping husks. Fold the sides of the husks up and over the filling, then fold the narrow ends over. Tie with string if you like (or just tuck the ends under).
Set a steamer basket in the bottom of a large pot with water below (not touching). Stack the humitas in the basket, standing upright if possible. Cover tightly and steam over medium-low heat for 45 to 60 minutes, until the humita filling is set and pulls cleanly from the husk when tested.
Rest 10 minutes before serving. Unwrap at the table, either fully or partially, and eat straight from the husk with a spoon or fingers. Serve warm with coffee or hot chocolate.
Tips
- Fresh corn is best. Peak-season fresh corn on the cob gives you the correct sweet-starchy balance. Frozen sweetcorn works but is often a touch too sweet; adjust by adding less sugar to the batter.
- Coarse grind, not smooth. Blitzing to a fine puree turns the humita into corn pudding. Aim for a chunky paste with visible pieces of kernel.
- Overlap two husks for each humita. A single husk is often too narrow to hold the batter. Two overlapping husks (wide ends outward) give you a snug parcel.
- Steam gently for a full hour. Aggressive boiling makes the humitas seize; low steady steam over 45 to 60 minutes gives you the classic soft, cake-like texture.
- Best eaten warm from the pot. Humitas keep for a day in the fridge but are best on the day they're made. Reheat leftovers in the steamer for 10 minutes to restore the texture.
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