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Salt and Pepper Corn Kernels — finished dish, ready to serve.

Salt and Pepper Corn Kernels

椒盐玉米粒 · pan chinese cuisine

20 min total10 min cooking3 stepssavorysalty

This street-food-style corn snack is popular in China for being fast, inexpensive, and addictive — the title literally says 'the more you eat, the more fragrant it gets.' The kernels are briefly blanched, coated in cornstarch, then pan-fried and seasoned.

Yuki Tanaka's profile photoYuki TanakaTokyo-born, now in Chicago. I post about dashi, pickles, and bento for picky kids. My kitchen is tiny but my knife game is sharp.

Nutrition & allergens

No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.

Per serving (4 servings)

Energy (kcal)
17.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Protein (g)
0.1(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Fat (g)
0(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Carbs (g)
4.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Sodium (mg)
0.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)

Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.

  • Cornstarch ingredient identification photo

    cornstarch玉米淀粉

    0.71 oz

Techniques you'll use

Steps

  1. 1

    Step 11 min

    Blanching (chao shui) ↗
    Salt and Pepper Corn Kernels — step 1 visual checkpoint.

    Boil the corn kernels in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well, then add the cornstarch and mix until the kernels are evenly coated.

    ✅ Done when: The kernels are blanched after 1 minute and each one is evenly coated with cornstarch.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Low heatPan-frying (jian) ↗
    Salt and Pepper Corn Kernels — step 2 visual checkpoint.

    Heat oil in a pan, add the corn kernels, and pan-fry over low heat until lightly golden, breaking them apart with chopsticks as they cook so they don't stick together.

    ✅ Done when: The corn kernels turn lightly golden on the surface and are cooked as individual pieces rather than clumps.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Salt and Pepper Corn Kernels — step 3 visual checkpoint.

    Sprinkle with salt-and-pepper seasoning to taste, along with cumin powder and chili powder. Toss to coat evenly, then top with chopped scallions and serve.

    ✅ Done when: The seasonings coat the kernels evenly and chopped scallions are scattered on top.