Maja con Maiz

This dish can also be made without the corn and it's called Maja Blanca - very similar to the Hawaiians' Haupia except for the amount of cornstarch. My trusted ratio is 1:1:4, cornstarch, sugar and liquids. The liquids traditionally used were coconut milk and water but adding cow's milk makes it even richer.


Ingredients
1 c. cornstarch
1 c. sugar
2 c. coconut milk
1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. water
1 425 g. can of cream-style corn

Procedure
Mix together the liquids, sugar, and cornstarch in a pot. Make sure there's no lumps before adding the corn. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly (dont stop! it will thicken in a blink of an eye) until thick and the whisk or spoon you are using will start to leave tracks and you can see the bottom of the pan (about 10-15 minutes). The mixture will have then have a lovely sheen and creaminess. Make sure to stir in all direction so you wont it.

Pour into the cake pan or baking dish, top with crushed peanuts (optional) cool and set in the refrigerator to cool further. Cut and served.

The creamed corn can be replaced with a lot of things for variations. Most common variation here in the Philippines is Maja con Calabasa - just add one and a half cups of mashed squash. I use evaporated milk because it's readily available in store and not quite as expensive as fresh whole milk.