Curau — Brazilian fresh sweet-corn pudding

i. Origin & history

Maize was cultivated by Indigenous peoples across what is now Brazil long before the Portuguese arrived, and green corn was eaten roasted, boiled and pounded into pastes and porridges. After colonisation, those Indigenous corn preparations met the Portuguese taste for milk-and-sugar puddings — cane sugar was the colony's great crop — and African cooks in plantation kitchens shaped many of the results. Curau, a sweetened corn-and-milk cream, is a product of that mixing rather than a pre-colonial dish in its current form.

Curau is above all a festival food. The Festas Juninas, held in June in honour of Saint Anthony, Saint John and Saint Peter, coincide with the maize harvest in much of Brazil, and their food is built around corn: pamonha (sweet corn paste steamed in husks), milho cozido (boiled corn), corn cake (bolo de milho), popcorn and curau. The festivals are celebrated nationwide but are largest in the North-east, where cities such as Campina Grande and Caruaru host enormous São João celebrations.

The naming is confusing, even for Brazilians. In São Paulo, Minas Gerais and much of the South-east and Centre-West, curau means this fresh-corn cream. In the North-east, the same dish is called canjica, while in the South-east canjica means something else entirely: a pudding of dried, hulled white maize kernels cooked in milk, which North-easterners call mungunzá. DessertCat's canjica page covers that hominy pudding.

Curau is also distinct from pamonha, which uses the same grated green corn but is wrapped in corn husks and boiled into a firm, sliceable parcel. Curau is the loose, spoonable sibling — the same flavour, eaten from a bowl.

ii. How fresh corn thickens itself

Curau needs no flour, cornflour or eggs to set. Its thickener is the starch in the corn kernels themselves. Young, 'green' corn — milho verde — contains a milky liquid rich in sugars and starch. Blending the kernels with milk and straining the mixture extracts that starchy liquid and leaves behind the tough skins of the kernels. When the strained liquid is heated, the starch granules absorb water and swell — gelatinisation — thickening the mixture into a smooth cream, which sets further as it cools.

This is why the type and age of corn matter. Fresh, plump sweetcorn with milky kernels gives the best flavour and enough starch to thicken. Very sweet modern 'supersweet' varieties have more sugar and less starch, so they thicken less and may need a little cornflour; old, starchy corn thickens well but tastes flatter. Frozen sweetcorn works, but tinned corn in brine gives a weaker, slightly metallic result.

Straining is essential. The skins of the kernels are fibrous and make the curau gritty; pressing the pulp firmly through a sieve, or squeezing it through a cloth, extracts as much liquid as possible and leaves the fibres behind.

Stirring constantly as it cooks prevents lumps and stops the starch catching on the base of the pan. The curau is ready when it is thick enough to coat the spoon heavily and bubbles slowly, like a thick custard; it will set considerably more in the fridge.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 6 ears fresh sweetcorn (about 600 g kernels), or 600 g frozen kernels
• 750 ml whole milk
• 200 ml coconut milk, optional
• 150 g sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp butter, optional
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, to dust

Fresh milho verde — sweetcorn picked young, with plump, milky kernels — gives the best curau; in Brazil it is sold in the husk at markets in June. Frozen kernels are a good substitute; thaw them first. Coconut milk is a North-eastern touch that adds richness; replace it with more milk if you prefer. Some cooks replace part of the sugar with sweetened condensed milk for a creamier, richer curau. The salt sharpens the corn's natural sweetness. If your corn is very sweet and does not thicken, whisk 1–2 tbsp cornflour into a little cold milk and stir it in.

iv. Method

1. Stand each ear of corn upright on a board and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife, close to the cob. Scrape the cob with the back of the knife to collect the milky pulp.
2. Blend the kernels and pulp with 500 ml of the milk for 2–3 minutes until very smooth.
3. Pour through a fine sieve into a heavy-based pan, pressing hard on the pulp with a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the fibrous pulp left in the sieve.
4. Add the remaining milk, coconut milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon stick to the pan.
5. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, for 15–20 minutes, until the mixture thickens to a heavy custard that coats the spoon and bubbles slowly. Stir in the butter, if using, and remove the cinnamon stick.
6. Pour into a serving dish or individual bowls. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours until set.
7. Dust generously with ground cinnamon just before serving.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Scrape the cobs. The milky pulp left on the cob after cutting is full of starch and flavour. Scraping it off with the back of a knife is how Brazilian cooks get a thick curau.
• Strain thoroughly. Corn skins make curau gritty. Press the pulp hard through a fine sieve, or squeeze it in a cloth.
• Stir constantly. Corn starch thickens quickly and catches on the base; lumps and scorching come from inattention.
• Judge by thickness, not time. Corn varies in starch. Cook until it coats the spoon heavily, then a little more.
• Use young corn. Milky green corn gives a sweeter, more fragrant curau than old, dry ears.
• Add cinnamon at the end. Ground cinnamon dusted on top just before serving stays bright; added earlier it darkens and sinks.

vi. Variations

Curau com leite condensado uses condensed milk for a richer, sweeter result. Curau de coco increases the coconut milk and may include grated coconut. Curau de milho cremoso is served warm and loose, while the firmer version is set in a dish and cut into squares. Pamonha uses grated corn wrapped and cooked in husks, and bolo de milho is a moist corn cake made from the same green corn.

Related corn desserts on DessertCat include Brazil's hominy canjica and Peru's purple-corn mazamorra morada. Other Brazilian sweets include the coconut-yolk quindim and the layered pavê. In Thailand, coconut-rice khanom krok are often topped with sweetcorn kernels.

vii. Serving & storage

Curau is served cold or at room temperature in small bowls or cups, dusted with cinnamon, at Festa Junina parties alongside pamonha, quentão (spiced hot drink), corn cake and peanut sweets such as paçoca. It is also an everyday dessert in corn season.

Covered in the fridge, it keeps for 3 days. It does not freeze well — the starch gel weeps water when thawed. If it becomes too firm in the fridge, stir in a splash of milk before serving.

ix. More from Latin American

• Canjica — Brazilian hominy pudding
• Mazamorra Morada — Peruvian purple-corn pudding
• Quindim — Brazilian coconut-yolk custard
• Pavê — Brazilian layered icebox dessert
• Khanom Krok — Thai coconut cups
• Rice Pudding — creamy milk pudding