Chilli With Cornbread

Asked by KatieHissey. Answered on 4th March 2013

Full question

Hi, I would really love to make Nigella's Chilli With Cornbread, however I am not sure what the equivalent would be in Australia, it appears none of the supermarkets where I live stock cornmeal. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Katie

Our answer

Nigella's Cornbread Topped Chilli Con Carne (from Feast) has a crust made from cornbread which is baked on top of the pot of chilli. Unfortunately cornmeal can be had to find in some places. Whilst it may be possible to use polenta as a substitute there are a couple of things to bear in mind.

First the quick-coking type of polenta is par-cooked then re-dried so may not be the best substitute for cormeal. The more traditional type of polenta, with longer cooking time, will be coarser ground than cornmeal so will give a much more crunchy texture. You could try grinding the polenta more finely in a blender or food processor. You may also prefer to use slightly less polenta and slightly more flour than in the original recipe.

There is an on-line website that sells Aunt Jemima cornmeal in Australia and can deliver by mail order. See the link below, it is in the baking section. In warm environments it is also a good idea to store cornmeal in the fridge as it can turn rancid more quickly in warm and humid conditions.

http://www.usafoods.com.au/