A traditional Persian experience: Balal Persian Street Corn. Fresh corn on the cobb grilled to a blackened state and soaked in saltwater for flavor!  The wafting smell of grilling corn is common in big cities as well as coastal beach towns in Iran.  The good news is that it is simple to make at home with only 3 ingredients.

One of the few memories I have of Iran is of the taste and smell of fresh corn on the cobb grilled to a blackened state, soaked in saltwater, and served and sold on the streets. Corn in Farsi is called Balal.

Once you have a taste for char-grilled, salty street corn, boiled corn just won’t do it.  My family emigrated to the U.S. in 1970 when I was a toddler.  I’m not sure I had enough teeth to eat balal in those early days I was in Iran.  I do have vivid memories of smelling the street corn on a summer visit later when I was about 9 years old.  The smoky waft of burning corn is weirdly intoxicating and is probably why I love burning my popcorn just a touch.

The ingredients for making Persian street corn couldn’t be simpler.

Ingredients:

• corn on the cobb
• hot water
• salt

On the streets of Iran, the corn is typically straight on hot charcoals.  Husks remain intact to help grab ahold of the corn and flip it around on the grill to cook on all sides.  The smart street method for cooling it off quickly by vendors is to submerge into a saltwater solution.  The home method is not much different.

In Iranian culture, if you’re grilling and having a barbecue, corn is almost always on the menu as a side dish.  I have been known to take the easy way out and buy pre-packaged corn on the cobb that has already had the husks removed and the knob of the cobb cut off.  Home grilling normally requires some big grill tongs so turning and flipping the trimmed up corn is not an issue.

Pour 1/2 cup salt into a pitcher of water to create a saltwater brine – after the corn is grilled and cooked, soak to cool off and for a fresh salty taste!

This being said I’ve seen some very creative methods for getting close to bbq perfect results.  Many folks will resort to using a home stove burner.  I’ve seen this done but have never tried it.  Living in California we don’t have the excuse of bad weather for choosing not to grill outside.  I fear a kitchen fire or a smoke detector going off and prefer to take it outside.  A good friend of mine whose hubby is the home cook shared a clever method for grilling his corn.  He uses a kitchen blowtorch to blacken his cooked corn!  

Here is a short video showing how to make Persian street corn at home using our electric grill:

Persian street corn is a delicious side dish that pairs well with Persian Slider Burgers!  Another great option to grill alongside balal is this great Flank Steak Marinade recipe.

Yield: 4

Balal | Persian Street Corn

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One of the few memories I have of Iran is of the taste and smell of fresh corn on the cobb grilled to a blackened state, soaked in salt water, and served and sold on the streets.  Corn in Farsi is called Balal.  The wafting smell of grilling corn is common in big cities as well as coastal beach towns in Iran.  The good news is that it is simple to make at home with only 3 ingredients.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 ears of corn
• 1/2 cup table salt
• 10 cups (about 1 tall pitcher) cold water

Instructions

1. Remove corn husks - shuck or peel the husks from the ear of corn, leaving the handle or knob part intact
2. Create a saltwater brine solution by stirring the salt into a pitcher of the water
3. Grill corn on a gas or charcoal grill directly on the grill on high heat. Getting a good char-grilled result takes about 15 minutes of cooking, rotating and turning the ear of corn about every 5 minutes
4. Submerge grilled corn directly into the saltwater brine solution - the longer you leave it in the salt water, the saltier the resulting grilled corn will be
5. Serve and eat immediately

Notes

Ideally, we use fresh corn, peel the husks, and leave the knob or handle intact. Fresh corn tastes delicious and the knob of the corn on the cobb makes for easier grilling, turning and handling.

We often resort to pre-packaged, pre-shucked, cleaned and trimmed ears of corn. This is not a problem as we have barbecue tongs for turning the corn on the grill.

The salt water solution has two functions: it cools the grilled corn so you can eat it right away. It also adds a tasty salt flavor that is delicious with the char-grilled corn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 95Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 14171mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g