Best for: Street-stall corn with a cumin kick.
Chinese night-market corn is not buttered — it is brushed again and again with spiced oil while it chars over charcoal, then dusted with cumin and chile at the end. Kao yumi follows the stalls: whole ears, fierce heat, and a finish that is savory and smoky instead of sweet. It sits in a different lane from the site’s buttered and cheese-topped grilled corns.
Grill: Direct medium-high heat over charcoal; 425°F. Equipment: Charcoal grill, tongs, small brush.
Ingredients
Rest: 2 minutes. Total: 27 minutes.
- 4 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1 teaspoon Chinese chile flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Directions
Stir the neutral oil, cumin, chile flakes, salt, Sichuan pepper, and sugar into a spiced oil. Light the charcoal and heat the grill to 425°F.
Brush the corn all over with the spiced oil.
Grill directly over the coals for 12–15 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until the kernels are tender with char scattered over every side.
Brush again with spiced oil each time you turn the ears, so the spices build up in layers instead of burning off in one coat.
Pull the corn when the deepest char spots are just short of black and the kernels give when pressed.
Rest for 2 minutes, brush once more with any remaining spiced oil, and serve hot.
Grilling tip: Thin, repeated coats of spiced oil beat one thick coat — the first coat seasons, the later coats glaze.
