The season of fresh corn has arrived!! What is your favorite way of eating this beautiful yellow vegetable? For me, the classic way of boiling and just eating as it is is definitely my all time favorite. It immediately brings me back to my childhood as well. We would often eat even for an afternoon snack. There is nothing like freshly boiled corn. Eating it so cleanly with just the teeth is probably very much Japanese culture. I was always the worst one in my family at this. So, I am still working and improving that skill.
When I started to learn the raw food diet, I learned that people also eat corn raw, which I had never eaten before! It was surprisingly delicious, with a fresh and juicy flavor. Ever since, making raw corn soup has been one of my favorite ways to prepare the corn in summer time. Especially on a hot day, it will beautifully cool down and refresh our body and senses. From some point, I started to add cucumber in the recipe to hydrate the body as well as bring more nutrients into the soup. It is absolutely delicious!!
Health Benefit
Corn is know to be high in Vitamin C, B, as well as magnesium and potassium. In the East, corn is considered to gently support the digestive system to relax and revitalize according to its yellow color. It also has the effect to cool down the body and help to discharge the excess water inside the body. As the corn plant grows straight towards the sky, it has the energy of helping chi move inside the body.
What makes the soup so creamy?
There are several options to bring creamier texture to this soup. One is using soaked cashews. Another one is blending with avocado which brings richer flavor and texture. I like also adding some raw hemp seeds. Depending on what you have in your kitchen when you decide to make this soup, you can add those options, all, some, or just one of them. If you decide to use cashews, don’t forget to soak them a few hours in advance!
Don’t waste the corn cobs!
As you take the corn out from the cob for making soup, the cob remains unused for this recipe. But it is too pity to waste it! With the corn cob, you can make a lovely broth just boiling it in the water, then simmering for about 10 minutes. I make the broth once I take out the corn from the cob, then put in a container and let it cool down and store in the fridge to use the next day, if not using on the same day. This is how I used the broth this time. I made miso soup with it for the next day’s dinner, and it was delicious!
Raw Corn-Cucumber Soup
Ingredients
- 200g corn
- 150g cucumber
- 100ml vegetable broth
- 100ml water
- 70g avocado (or 30g dried cashews presoaked in water for over 4 hours)
- 30g hemp seed
- lemon juice
- lemon peel
- salt
- pepper
- EV olive oil
- Fresh garnish such as fresh cilantro, chive, spring onion, or any other herbs that you like
Directions
- Step 1 If you use cashews, soak them in water for more than 4 hours prior to cooking.
- Step 2 Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend together.
- Step 3 Serve in the bowl and drizzle some olive oil on top.
