Corn fritters are a universal love language. Just about every culture has a version of these crispy, golden bites—and I’m especially partial to the Thai take, known as tod man khao pod. Spiked with red curry paste for a subtle kick and a splash of fish sauce for that unmistakable funky depth, these fritters are absolutely bursting with flavor. And unlike some versions, mine use barely any batter, so you’re getting mostly sweet, juicy corn in every bite.

In Thailand, you’ll often find vendors frying these up in big woks at street stalls. The smell alone—sweet corn, sizzling oil, warm spices—is enough to stop you in your tracks. At home, they make the perfect party snack. I recommend frying and eating them casually, maybe while everyone hangs out in the kitchen with a drink in hand. Or fry them all up and keep them warm in a low oven while you finish the batch. Pro tip: stash a few for yourself before putting them out, or you might not get any at all. Ask me how I know. You’ll love how quick and satisfying these are to make. The red curry adds flavor without making them too spicy, and the fritters come together in just minutes. Crispy, snackable, and totally addictive, so let’s get into it.

Summer Corn

Corn is a highlight of summer. And while we can get it all year round, I only make these fritters when corn is in season and at its sweetest. Look for corn that is plump and has a bright green, fitted husk. Avoid any that have brown shriveled husks, or slimy silk coming out of them. And not to give you an “earful”, but fresh corn should be used within a day or two. Otherwise the corn’s sugars turn to starch, and you lose that peak of season sweetness.

Start making the fritters by slicing off the corn kernels. Do it over a large bowl because this can be a messy business. (you can also put the bowl in the sink and do it there so any flying kernels are caught.) Hold the corn up vertically and slice down the corn with a sharp knife. Make sure you do not cut so deeply that you are cutting into the woody corncob, which is unpleasant to eat. If you feel a good amount of resistance as you cut down, you’re probably hitting the core.

Frittering

You can fritter just about anything. Some batter, some veggie, and some oil and voila, you have fritters. Most of them though rely on a lot of binding batter which masks the veggies. Not these though! Just 4 tablespoons each of flour and cornstarch provide enough structure while letting the corn and spices shine.

The red curry paste is just enough to add some flavor and interest to the batter but not so much that it’s spicy. You can add a little more if you prefer a bigger jolt of flavor.

I start making my corn fritters by adding all the batter ingredients to a bowl:

Then I give it a good stir:

Mix until smooth:

Add the corn, scallions and cilantro to the batter:

Then it’s time to heat the oil. Test that it’s hot enough by dropping in a tiny piece of batter. It should immediately sizzle. Stir the batter again and it’s time to fry. This is a very wet batter, it will spread quite a bit when dropped in the oil. Be very careful to avoid hot splatters. The corn fritters fry up quite quickly, about 2 minutes per side.

Use a skimmer to take the corn fritters out when they are nice and golden brown. Drain them on paper towels while you fry up the rest of the batter.

These corn fritters will disappear as soon as you make them, so plan accordingly. They’re also best eaten hot as they’ll start to lose the nice crispy texture. Any leftovers can be re-heated in an oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

They are wonderful served alongside Tropical Ceviche, or devoured as a snack with Lychee Mai Tais. Make them tonight and then take a second to rate and comment on the recipe below. Tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen; we love hearing from y0u!

Corn Fritters (tod man khao pod)

★★★★★ 4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: serves 4-6 1x
• Category: small plates
• Cuisine: Thai

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Ingredients

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• 4 ears of corn
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• ½ tablespoon fish sauce*
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 eggs
• 4 scallions finely chopped
• 3 Tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro 
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• oil for frying

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Instructions

1. With a knife cut off the kernels of corn and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, cornstarch, red curry paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, and eggs. Stir the batter until it’s free of lumps. 
3. Add the corn, scallions, and cilantro and gently stir in.
4. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat for 10 minutes. The oil should be 350. Test with a small drop of batter; it should sizzle immediately.
5. Mix the batter before taking a heaping tablespoon of batter. Gently lower the spoon and pour the batter into the oil. 
6. (The batter is very loose. Just pour the batter in one spot and move to another area of the pan for another. Keep doing this several times until you have 4-5 fritters. They will naturally spread out in the oil.)
7. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 3-4 mins, flipping the fritters gently half way during the cooking process.
8. Drain the fritters on paper towels. Continue frying in the same way until all of the batter is used.
9. Serve immediately.

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Notes

*to make vegetarian corn fritters, omit the fish sauce

Keywords: corn fritters, thai food