L.A. Street Vendor Esquites
Esquites Callejeros·(es-KEE-tes kah-yeh-HEH-ros)
Chapter 5 — Drinks, Sides & Desserts: Completing the Spread
If you’ve ever stood in an East L.A. parking lot at ten o'clock at night, drawn by the blast of an air horn and the smell of sweet corn mingling with sharp, earthy herbs, you know the immediate comfort of the elotero’s cart. As the griddle hisses with blistered kernels, you see that esquites callejeros are a wet, savory, spoonable hybrid of a snack and a stew, not a dry roasted summer salad. The secret is waking up the corn in hot manteca, then simmering it in a rich chicken broth packed with fresh epazote. Keep the pot warm on the back burner, hand everyone a Styrofoam cup, and let your guests build their own with a squeeze bottle of mayo, crumbly Cotija, and a heavy squirt of Parkay squeeze margarine.
Ingredients
- manteca3 tbsp
- white onion1/2 med
- cloves garlic2 small
- serrano chiles3 med
- fresh sweet corn kernels8 cup
- chicken broth4 cup
- bunch fresh epazote1 large
- kosher salt1 tsp
- mayonnaise1 cup
- Parkay squeeze margarine1 cup
- Cotija cheese1 1/2 cup
- Tajín or chile piquín2 tbsp
- Mexican hot sauce1/4 cup
- limes3 med
Method
- 01
Build the savory base in hot manteca.
Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, drop in the lard, and sauté the diced onion, garlic, and serrano chiles for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent and fiercely fragrant.
- 02
Toast the fresh corn.
Stir in the corn kernels to coat them in the infused fat, cooking undisturbed for a few minutes to toast the natural sugars and turn the kernels bright yellow without fully blackening them.
- 03
Simmer the corn in the epazote broth.
Pour in the chicken broth so it just covers the corn, bury the fresh epazote sprigs in the liquid, drop the heat to low, and simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes.
- 04
Hold and steep on the back burner.
Turn off the heat but leave the pot covered on the stove; the kernels will swell and absorb the herbaceous broth, holding perfectly on a low pilot light until you're ready to serve.
- 05
Assemble the cups to order.
Ladle the hot corn and a splash of broth into cups, then top heavily with a squirt of squeeze margarine, mayonnaise, Cotija cheese, Tajín, hot sauce, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Epazote is non-negotiable.
There is no Western substitute for this sharp, earthy herb; do not use cilantro. It is the soul of the dish and can be found fresh in almost any Latin American supermarket.
Never substitute feta for Cotija.
Feta is brined and clumps into a paste when mixed with hot broth. You need the dry, aged, crumbly texture of true Mexican Cotija cheese to properly emulsify the sauce.
Embrace the bouillon.
To replicate the exact working-class flavor profile of a street cart, make your chicken broth using water and powdered Knorr Suiza chicken consommé.