12 exotic recipes

Flavorful and colorful. A classic Indian dish, the combination of yogurt, tomatoes, potatoes, rice and spices is super tasty and fills you up. Serve it as a side dish with a tangy stew or a main dish with some refreshing chutney.

No-bake chocolate and dried fruit squares studded with nuts, topped with candied orange zest. These refrigerator treats combine tropical dried fruit mix with rich semi-sweet chocolate for an elegant bite.

Baked sweet risotto with arborio rice, ripe bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, and creme de cacao. A creamy, hands-off rice pudding dessert that bakes covered for one hour.

A retro molded fruit salad of pineapple, coconut, and walnuts set in gelatin, served with sweet pineapple-poached figs. A vintage luncheon centerpiece alongside cold chicken, turkey, or pork.

Hearty Mexican-style vegetarian chili with corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, and warm cumin-chili spice. Chili con elote is thick, smoky, and bean-loaded, ready in under an hour with zero meat required.

Elote is a popular street food in Mexico although it is frequently served at home prepared in the same way (boiled, steamed or grilled in the husk).

Fresh Corn with Cream, Chiles, and Cheese This is a very rich dish, and is very good served as a separate course with hot tortillas.

Sweet corn tamales with roasted corn folded into whipped butter-masa dough with poblano peppers and Monterey Jack, steamed in corn husks. Vegetarian comfort wrapped up tight.

Sopa de elote is a creamy Mexican corn soup made from pureed corn simmered in milk with sweet and hot peppers. Garnished with fried tortilla strips and crumbled cheese.

Sopa de elote is a Mexican corn soup blending pureed corn with whole kernels, sauteed onion, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and a finishing splash of cream. Gluten-free, late-summer comfort.

Traditional Mexican budin de elote: corn pureed with milk, folded into creamy butter and eggs, baked low and slow until golden and set. Simple, rich, and deeply corny.

Sopa de elote, a Mexican corn chowder with chili powder, cumin, sweet peppers, and milk in a chicken broth base. A light, warming bowl ready in under 30 minutes.