Last weekend, MOON hosted their annual Chili Cook Off Fundraiser!! Last year, they hosted a similar cook off that I posted about at their store, but this one is much bigger 
It is held in a nearby church, and hundreds of people from the community come. I’d say there are about 10 different chili’s to choose from, vegan/veg/meat, with mild and HOTT options! something for everyone
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They have a huge array of baked goods to purchase, some cookies for everyone, and lots of cornbread. lots and lots of bread!
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I remember having cornbread once in my life. maybe more? but I only remember it once. and it was so.good. I was super excited to try some again!
The verdict?
Disappointment. Big time. I think I tried 3 kinds. Too sweet. Too buttery. All were too crumbly. Eventually I gave up and went to get a piece of the whole wheat bread that was left. I wasn’t hungry anymore, but still wanted something good! (Also, side note, I got there about an hour late due to going to the wrong location, forgetting money, and things after the gym. and I WALKED a LOT. long story *sigh*) So I tried that bread. That verdict? AHMAZING. I believe it had a bit of honey, some nuts/seeds, and maybe some dried fruit? Just for some flavor. A touch of sweetness and nuttiness!
That’s when I noticed a new cut up cornbread! With green flakes- jalapenos! I LOVE spicy so I had to try it! And THIS was was a hit! Not jaw-dropping-amazing like my previous expectations. but definitely very, very good. I took 3 pieces of each home, with a bunch of chili!
So, that brings me to this recipe. I’ve mentioned a bit about nuts.com, but I love ordering bulk dried fruits from there, along with some nuts, flours, and other stuff. I got my last order a few weeks ago before school started:
– mulberries
– black mulberries
– goji berries
– papaya
– beans
– several corn flour grinds
I don’t know why, but I’ve had cornbread and polenta on my mind for a while now! It might have something to do with my love for Shagbark… or the fact that it is chili season, and I love chili, but see everyone else eat it with cornbread!, But anyways, ordering from Nuts.com seemed like a great way to get the organic corn products. While researching a bit over break, I found out that there are major differences in corn flour, corn meal, polenta, etc., so I decided to get them all at once! Once I got it, I can see the difference.
Anyways, today I woke up and decided to make it- finally! I finished the corn bread last night but had a savory hankering still. I knew from my research in January that sugar is not traditional in southern cornbread– and neither is regular flour! Take that, America! I skimmed a lot of recipes on Food52, some vegan some not, and adapted to create this thing here. I think this one is the closest to what I settled on. Of course, going into it, I knew I’d be using my iron skillet! Read here to find out about the best oil to season them with, aka why I used grapeseed oil to start and coconut oil in the batter.
The highlight of today’s recipe: CURRY LEAVES! Now, curry leaves have nothing, I repeat, nothing (!) to do with curry powder! But, they are immensely flavorful! My mom uses them in so many veggie dishes at home, and I have yet to use up mine! I knew this would be a great way to flavor the bread and it was!
The curry flavor was a hit. The bread overall? Not living up to my dreams. Crumbly, still, and I’m realizing that that is what corn flour is like! So, first I wasn’t going to share this recipe (because I have 10,00 other cornbread ideas), ,but then I had another slice, then another, and I thought, hey, it’s not perfect but it is pretty darn good! And, I started this blog to share all recipes and my processes. Now just perfection. Because no one’s got time for that.
And here, the only faults are personal- I don’t love the coconut flavor that came through. And I think that is it! But I am super sensitive, so maybe I just need to up the spice. Enjoy!
recipe
You could slice it into triangles, but I kind of like the many misshapen squares/shapes that result from cutting it into a 4×4 in a circular pan. So I did!
Possible variations:
using 2% yogurt instead of vegan buttermilk. Can I use only yogurt
– yogurt + soymilk
– yogurt + filmjolk
JALAPENO. once I come up with a base.
and of course, veggies! II;’m thinking zucchini, but it might be too watery? more research I guess…
~Masala Girl
are you a cornbread fan? how do you make it?
do you do online shopping? I also LOVE Thrive Market!
About the weekly workouts- I have the outline post typed… but just am not in the mood to edit it! Might make next week about the 2 weeks then.
Sharing the curry cornbread goodness with for #StrangeButGood Fridays