Cornflour

Cornflour, the British name for cornstarch, is the pure starch extracted from maize kernels. It is bright white, squeaky between the fingers and flavourless. In Indian and Indo-Chinese cooking it coats paneer, cauliflower and chicken before frying for a crisp crust, thickens hot and sour soup and manchurian gravy, binds cutlets and kebabs, and sets custard, blancmange and falooda jelly.

Cornflour is different from makki atta and cornmeal, which are whole ground maize for bread and porridge. Recipes from the United States that call for cornstarch mean this flour, while American cornmeal means the coarse yellow kind. Small packets cover occasional thickening; larger tubs suit families who cook Indo-Chinese food often or bake regularly.

Always mix cornflour with a little cold water into a smooth slurry before stirring it into hot liquid, then simmer for a minute until the sauce turns glossy and clear. Cornflour keeps for a very long time in a dry, sealed container. For batters with flavour, use gram flour; for maize bread, see makki atta and cornmeal, both within gram and corn flour.