Baked Masala Corn Esquites Dip

You’ll definitely get compliments if you show up your next party with this spicy and creamy baked masala corn dip. It’s just as delicious hot as it is cold, and scalable for small and large parties!

Why this dip is perfect for parties

• You can whip together this dip a few hours or days before your next party and store it in an airtight container! This way, you won’t have to worry about making an extra dish on the day of the party. Just pop it in the oven and bake it the you’re ready.
• My favorite way to eat this dip is hot as the corn will be creamier, but it tastes just as good cold, next day, out of the fridge, It’s really up to preference.
• There’s barely any cooking involved to make this dip other than toasting the corn so it’s very beginner friendly.
• The best part is how easily adjustable this recipe is to your personal preferences. Do you prefer a slightly smoky flavor? Grill your corn on the cob and then remove the kernels and season. Not a fan of spice? Sprinkle as much red chili powder as you can handle! Don’t like cilantro? Completely fine! Don’t add it!

What are Esquites?

Esquites are a popular Mexican street food that is essentially an off the cob version of elote! It’s make using fresh corn roasted in butter, crema, cilantro, chili powder, lime and crumbled Cotija cheese. There are a lot of different variations of it, but those are the most popularly constant ingredients. In Mexico, you can find esquites at street vendors served in a cup.

What is Masala Corn?

And while we’re on the topic of corn in a cup – let’s talk about Masala Corn! Masala corn is also a corn in a cup based street food served in India. While you can find it at street vendors, you’ll also find it in malls, movie theatres and anywhere were snacks are sold. It’s generally meal by boiling corn and toss it in butter, lemon juice and spices. If you want to try out a masala corn recipe, you can try this one from my website!

Masala Corn Equites Dip

Commonalities between masala corn are equites are the corn, citrus, spices and butter! To fuse these two dishes together, we will first toast the corn in equites fashion. Then, prepare it as masalas corn is typically made! Once our toasted masala corn is ready, then we bring in the cheeses, sour cream and cilantro from the esquires side. And finally, to turn this all into a creamy dip, we add some cream cheese and give it all a good stir. Once this is baked, you end up with a creamy and spicy dip that goes perfectly with everything!

Is “Authentic” Food overrated?

As a content creator on social media, a buzzword I hear people say a lot is “authentic food” in reference to the “right way” to cook a certain dish. But in my opinion, being too preoccupied with authenticity can be very limiting. When you experiment with traditional recipes, you find out that there’s so much to discover and so many new dishes left to experience. Take, for example, Indo-Chinese cuisine. This whole cuisine is a result of fusion and parting with authenticity. Someone decided that authenticity was overrated and that something great could come out of combining the methods of cooking for these two cuisines, and they were right!

It’s a hard task to distinguish between authenticity and appropriation but it is a necessary skill if we want to learn how to be global citizens who appreciate cultures from all over the world. We need to be able to learn and bring over aspects of other cultures into our own without forgetting their origins and roots.

To me, this baked Masala Corn Esquites dip is how I combine the flavors of esquites and masala corn, while honoring the way they are original made and bringing in new ingredients as well.

Baked Masala Corn Esquites Dip

---

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 5–6 people 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

You’ll definitely get compliments if you show up your next party with this spicy and creamy baked masala corn dip. It’s just as delicious hot as it is cold, and scalable for small and large parties!

---

Ingredients

Scale

1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x 11x 12x 13x 14x 15x 16x 17x 18x 19x 20x

1x2x3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x 11x 12x 13x 14x 15x 16x 17x 18x 19x 20x

Masala Corn Base

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 cups of corn kernels
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 jalapenos, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2–3 tsp red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp taco seasoning, optional
• 1 tsp salt
• 1–2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala

The Dip Part

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream or mexican crema
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese for mixing in
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

---

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil and the corn kernels. Cook on high for about 5-6 minutes until the corn becomes toasted and golden. I like the use my cast iron for this to get more of a char on it. 
2. Add in the chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos. Sauté for 2 minutes. Then, add in the chopped cilantro, red chili powder, salt, cumin and chaat masala. I add 1 tbsp of red chili powder cause I like it spicy but use less depending on your tolerance. Sauté for an extra minute and remove from heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
4. Add the sautéed masala corn to a bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, cotija cheese and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Sprinkle the additional 1/2 cup of cheese on top and if you want, some sliced jalapenos.
5. Bake for 25 minutes at 375F. If you have a broiler, turn on broil and broil on high for 2 to get a golden top.

Make sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @eatsbyramya or DM it to get featured!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes