Every summer, I look forward to spending the morning in my garden, searching for fresh baby corn ready to harvest. There's something special about peeling back the pale green husks and finding the tiny ears with their soft golden silk still attached.
This vegan chilled baby corn soup is a simple seasonal recipe that makes the most of the whole baby corn, including the tender corn silk. Blended with onion, unsweetened soy milk, and onion koji—a homemade Japanese fermented seasoning used much like bouillon cubes—the soup has a naturally sweet, creamy flavor with gentle umami.
On hot summer days, I love serving this soup well chilled, though it's just as comforting served warm. The crisp bite of the baby corn and its gentle sweetness never fail to revive me on sweltering summer days 🌿
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🧺 Ingredients
This soup comes together with just a few simple ingredients.
- Fresh baby corn: Freshly harvested baby corn works best here. Use the corn silk too — it adds a pleasant, crisp texture.
- Onion: Sautéing the onion first brings out its natural sweetness and adds depth to the soup.
- Onion koji: A homemade Japanese fermented seasoning used much like bouillon cubes. It adds gentle umami, savory depth, and a subtle sweetness.
- Vegetable oil: I like to use olive oil or a mild, neutral-flavored rice bran oil.
- Plain soy milk: Unsweetened soy milk has a delicate, dashi-like umami, along with gentle sweetness and creaminess, giving the soup a mellow flavor.
For exact amounts, please check the printable recipe card👇
📖 Instructions
This soup comes together quickly, so no worries—you won't be stuck standing over the stove for long.
- Preparation: Remove the husks from the baby corn. Cut the baby corn and corn silk into bite-sized pieces, then coarsely chop the onion.
- Sauté: Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onion until softened.
- Simmer: Add the remaining ingredients except the soy milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finish: Once the baby corn is tender, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the soy milk. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until well chilled before serving.
🫙 Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
📚 FAQ
This recipe is made with fresh baby corn, which has a crisp, delicate texture that makes the soup special. Canned baby corn is much softer, so the texture of the finished soup will be different. You can still use canned baby corn if it is what you have, but I recommend trying it with fresh baby corn when it's in season.
Yes. Make it a few hours in advance and chill it in the refrigerator until cold before serving.
🌻 More Recipes with Onion Koji
🥛 More Recipes with Soy Milk
✏️ Recipe Card
Chilled Baby Corn Soup（Vegan）
Equipment
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- pot
- Spatula
- ladle
Ingredients
- 100 g baby corn
- 30 g corn silk
- ¼ onion
- 300 ml plain soy milk
- 200 ml water
- 1 tablespoon onion koji
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- oil (olive oil or rice bran oil, as needed)
Instructions
- Remove the husks from the baby corn. Cut the baby corn and corn silk into bite-sized pieces, then coarsely chop the onion.¼ onion
- Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onion until softened.oil
- Add the remaining ingredients except the soy milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Once the baby corn is tender, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the soy milk. Let the soup cool completely, then refrigerate until well chilled.300 ml plain soy milk
- Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.peppersalt
Once baby corn season comes to an end, sweet corn is just around the corner. Try this simple Shio Koji Corn Rice—one of the recipes I look forward to making every corn season.
Yuki says
It was easy and tasty.
I really liked the crunchiness of the corn silk!