Crispy corn, or Annalena finds a way she likes it

Back to cleaning out the fridge. One of the things that always goes into the freezer when the stuff is in season, is corn. Corn, corn and more corn. Annalena's long suffering partner loves the stuff. Not one of my favorites. Ah, the things we do...
BUT... in working with a bag of the stuff not that long ago, I found a way of cooking it that I really liked.
"Caramel corn" , you know that sweet stuff yes? Well, caramel is really what makes everything brown. One of the more important chemical reactions Annalena studied when she was a pre-med student (you didn't know, did ya?), involved the so-called "Browning reacton, " which is kind of a cute name for it. So yes, she can go on at great length about what happens to cause food to brown, but she won't. Instead, she'll talk about this corn dish, which I think you will like.
It fits the "simplicity rule" of less than five ingredients. Indeed, there are but three if you do not count the salt: corn, oil or butter, and shallots. You can substitute the shallots with onions, or leeks or any member of that family, and you can mix the oil and butter, turning it into four ingredients. Use about 3-4 cups of kernel corn, and if it's still frozen, the dish won't mind.

Slice your onion ingredient thinly, until you have a scant cup or so. Then, put a few tablespoons of fat in a pan, and get it hot. Add the onions, and cook them until they just begin to soften. When that happens, add your corn, some salt, and turn down the heat.

Now, here's the most important part of the recipe and the one that people always have trouble with. LEAVE IT ALONE. Let it cook, without stirring, for 3-4 minutes. THEN turn it . You're going to get some corn sticking to the pan (that's a good thing), and you'll see the browning happening on those kernels. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and you're ALMOST done. Almost, because now, you're going to get that last bit of brown stuff.

Add a quarter cup of water . The pan will spatter in protest, but be brave, and start stirring. The water will evaporate, the brown stuff will come up and coat the corn, and you'll get something even tastier.

Caramel corn as a vegetable side dish. Ain't you clever?