A pre-Hispanic Native American dish traditional across the Andes including Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina; the name means little steamed thing and Ecuadorian versions often include cheese.
Soft and moist with the milky sweetness of fresh corn, each cake melts with pockets of warm cheese and carries the gentle perfume of the husk it steamed in. The texture sits between a custard and a cake, comforting and lightly savory.
Grinding fresh corn releases its natural starches and sugars, while eggs and cheese set during steaming to bind the loose mash into a tender cake. Steaming inside the husk traps moisture and infuses a subtle grassy aroma without drying the corn out.
Variations
sweet versions add sugar and raisins, savory ones add more cheese or onion, sizes and husk-folding styles vary by region
On the Palate
Where Humitas Ecuadorian sits in the Ecuadorian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8
How it's made
7 steps · 40 min
- 115 min
Carefully peel the husks from fresh corn and reserve the largest ones as wrappers.
- 215 min
Cut the kernels off the cobs and grind them coarsely.
- 38 min
Saute onion in butter until soft and stir into the ground corn.
- 47 min
Beat in eggs, crumbled cheese, a little cream and salt to make a thick batter.
Watch outBeat in the egg and cheese until you get a thick batter that holds its shape on the spoon — too runny and it won't set into a cake.
- 515 min
Place a spoonful of batter onto each corn husk and fold into a sealed packet.
Watch outFold the husk into a well-sealed packet — a loose fold lets steam and batter leak and the humita cooks unevenly.
- 65 min
Stand the packets upright in a steamer over simmering water.
- 745 min
Steam for about 40 to 45 minutes until firm and set, then rest briefly before unwrapping.
Watch outSteam until firm and set, then rest before unwrapping — open it hot and it's still loose and falls apart.
