🌽 Chilean humitas
Humitas are a summer Chilean favourite: fresh sweet corn ground with onion, basil and a little milk, wrapped in corn husks and steamed. The filling is soft, sweet and fragrant with basil. They are eaten hot with a tomato salad or pebre.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ears of fresh corn with husks (about 1 kg of kernels)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- Large bunch of fresh basil
- 100 ml milk
- Salt, pinch of sugar if the corn is not sweet
- Cotton string
Method
- Cut the kernels from the ears and keep the largest husks, washed.
- Soften the onion in a little oil for 5 minutes.
- Blend the corn coarsely with the basil and milk, mix in the onion and season with salt.
- Place 3 tbsp of the mixture in the middle of a husk, fold into a parcel and tie it, using a second husk to reinforce if needed.
- Steam or simmer the humitas in water for 30–40 minutes until firm, and serve hot.
How to make it lighter
- Humitas are about 150 kcal per 100 g and low in fat; use only a spoon of oil for the onion and little added butter.
- Serve with a big tomato and onion salad instead of rice or bread.
- For more protein, add a portion of grilled chicken or an egg alongside.
History
Humitas come from the Andean tradition of cooking ground fresh corn in its own husks, shared by several countries of South America. In Chile they are tied to the corn harvest in late summer, when families gather to prepare them in large batches. They are a classic of Chilean home cooking and country fairs.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v15. How we count →