Corn Bread with Zucchini – A Savory Cake
This delicious recipe is a variation from the original Corn bread recipe from my Ayurvedic Chef training with Divya Alter. It is sooo delicious that I made a few times and added zucchini as this reminds me our beloved “Mücver” (Zucchini Fritters) from Turkiye. From Southern American corn bread to Turkish mücver, I think it is a lovely cake-bread that you can enjoy on its own for breakfast or lunch, accompany with a cup of tea or buttermilk (ayran in Turkiye), some fresh greens. This morning after my intense workout, I was so hungry that I ate it with eggs and it was the best complete breakfast for me!You can use ghee instead of olive oil or you can use half-half. I gave options for making it vegan, I hope you can enjoy both.Enjoy and let me know how it goes!
Equipment
- 1 pot
- 1 baking dish
Ingredients
- 3 eggs or ½ teaspoon psyllium husk
- 2 cups cornmeal, plus more as needed
- 1 cup grated zucchini-squeezed well to take extra water out
- ½ cup grated fresh fennel (optional)
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups (360 grams) buttermilk (or diluted cow’s milk or vegan yogurt – 1 part yogurt 3 parts water)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
- ⅓ cup (50 grams) olive oil
- ½ cup fresh dairy or vegan cheese like mozzarella, paneer, etc (optional)
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley, mint, dill
- 1 teaspoon kalonji/nigella seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
- If you are not using eggs, whisk the psyllium husk in a small bowl, with ⅓ cup of water. Set aside for 30 minutes, or until the liquid thickens and turns gel-like.
- Preheat the oven to 180c. Prepare the oven dish by lining up a baking paper and slightly oiling with olive oil.
- If you are using eggs, ignore the psyllium husks and just whisk the eggs in a bowl
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, salt, baking soda..
- In a large bowl, whisk together either eggs or the psyllium husk gel, buttermilk, olive oil and lime juice.
- Add the cornmeal mixture to this and whisk them altogether.
- Finally add the fresh herbs, grated zucchinis and carefully mix them into the batter. If you are using cheese, add them as well and carefully mix until incorporated.
- We are looking for a consistency that is thicker than pancake batter. If the texture and consistency need adjusting, gradually add more cornmeal (if too thin) or more buttermilk (if too thick).
- Pour the batter into a baking dish and decorate with sesame, nigella and sunflower seeds
- Bake for 40-60 minutes, until set, light brown in the center, and deep golden brown around the edges.
- Carefully remove the cornbread from the dish and let it cool on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.
