Chilean Humitas (Humitas) — Fresh Corn Parcels with Basil

• 10ears of fresh choclo corn with intact husks (use mature, starchy summer corn when possible)
• 16large corn husks (reserved from the corn ears, plus extra thin strips for tying)
• 1large yellow onion (finely diced)
• 60 gunsalted butter
• 150 mlwhole milk (divided)
• 25 gfresh basil leaves
• 2 tspají de color or sweet paprika
• 2.5 tspfine sea salt (divided between filling and cooking water)
• 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbspgranulated sugar (for diners who like the traditional sweet finish)
• 1 cuppebre (Chilean cilantro, onion, chile, and vinegar salsa)

Instructions

1. 1

   Remove the husks from the choclo carefully, keeping the widest leaves whole because they will become the wrappers for the humitas. Select 16 large husks, rinse them well, and tear 8 narrow strips from smaller husks to use as ties.

2. 2

   Bring 3 l of water to a boil in a wide pot and blanch the selected husks for 2 minutes to make them pliable. Lift them out, drain them on a towel, and keep the water in the pot for cooking the wrapped humitas later.

3. 3

   Cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife, then scrape each cob firmly with the back of the knife to collect the starchy corn milk. Process the kernels, corn milk, basil leaves, and 120 ml of the milk in a food processor until the mixture is coarse and creamy, not completely smooth.

4. 4

   Melt the butter in a heavy pan over medium heat and cook the diced onion for 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent but not browned. Stir in the ají de color, 1.5 tsp of the salt, and the black pepper, then cook for 1 minute to bloom the spice.

5. 5

   Add the ground corn mixture to the onion base and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly so the starch thickens without scorching. The filling should mound softly on a spoon; if it is too stiff to spread, stir in the remaining 30 ml milk and cook for 1 more minute.

6. 6

   Lay 2 husks on the counter with their wide ends overlapping to form a cross-shaped double wrapper. Spoon 125 g of the warm corn filling into the center, fold the sides over the filling, then fold the top and bottom closed to make a tight rectangular parcel.

7. 7

   Tie each parcel around the middle with a prepared husk strip, firm enough to hold its shape but not so tight that the filling bursts during cooking. Repeat with the remaining husks and filling to make 8 humitas, arranging any thinner husks as inner patches where needed.

8. 8

   Return the blanching water to a gentle boil and add the remaining 1 tsp salt. Lower the humitas into the pot, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning them once halfway through so the corn cooks evenly.

9. 9

   Transfer the humitas to a tray and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving, because the corn filling firms as it cools slightly. Serve them in their husks with pebre on the side and granulated sugar at the table for the classic Chilean sweet-or-savory choice.