Air Fryer Crispy Fried Corn (Indo-Chinese Style)
Sweet corn blanched or thawed, coated with corn flour, rice flour, and maida, air-fried until crisp, then tossed with Kashmiri chili, cumin, amchur, onion, capsicum, and coriander. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chili sauce.
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Mixing bowl
- Fine sieve or strainer
- Colander
Ingredients
For boiling (fresh corn only; skip if using thawed frozen)
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels from about 3 medium ears, or frozen equivalent
For the coating (before air frying)
- 1/4 cup corn flour cornstarch
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 tablespoon maida plain flour
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For air frying
- Neutral cooking oil in a spray bottle, or 2 teaspoons neutral oil for tossing
For the masala toss (after air frying)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon amchur dry mango powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons capsicum bell pepper; finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves chopped
To serve
- Tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce, as needed
Instructions
Prep the corn
- If using fresh kernels, bring water and salt to a boil, add corn, boil about 1 minute, drain well in a colander, then spread on a tray and pat completely dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- If using frozen corn, thaw completely, skip boiling, drain, and pat extremely dry.
Coat
- In a large dry bowl, whisk corn flour, rice flour, maida, pepper, and salt.
- Add the dry corn and toss until every kernel is coated. Rub gently with your fingers to separate clumps.
- Sieve the corn in a fine strainer or shake in a colander to knock off excess loose flour. Spread kernels on a tray in a single layer for 2 to 3 minutes so the surface dries slightly.
Air fry
- Preheat the air fryer to 190°C (375°F) for 3 minutes if your model recommends it.
- Lightly spray the basket with oil. Toss the coated corn with 1 to 2 teaspoons neutral oil in the bowl if you like (helps browning).
- Spread corn in a single layer. Air fry at 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes, shake the basket, then continue 3 to 6 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Watch closely after 12 minutes so the coating does not burn. Work in a second batch if needed.
Finish and serve
- Transfer hot corn to a bowl. Add Kashmiri chili, cumin powder, amchur, and salt. Toss well.
- Add onion, capsicum, and coriander. Toss again until combined.
- Serve immediately with tomato ketchup or chili sauce on the side. If using optional chaat sprinkle, add chaat masala, sev, and lemon only at the last second.
Notes
Best eaten hot. Crunch fades as it sits, especially after saucing.
Uniform coating matters: sieving excess flour reduces raw-flour patches in the air fryer.
For gluten-free, replace maida with a gluten-free all-purpose blend or use an extra tablespoon rice flour (texture may vary slightly).
If the coating falls off, the corn was likely too wet before dredging.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!