An abundance of sweet and tender summer corn is hitting markets near you. You may be grilling it, buttering it, chopping it up for salads, or putting it in a seafood boil, but I usually like my corn steamed simply for its natural sweetness. For that exact reason, I want to let you in on this creamy sweet corn drink that many restaurants serve in China.
It may sound unusual, but this recipe is a great way to bring corn’s natural sweetness to another level and enjoy it any time on a hot summer day. I also realized that other corn drinks like atol de elote and chicha morada are popular in Central and South America, so there’s definitely something to it!
A Variety of Chinese Drinks
If you’ve traveled to China, you know that non-alcoholic drinks are a big part of the menu, and there’s something for the whole family.
A large selection of hot teas is a given. Then there’s the range of freshly squeezed fruit juices—watermelon and mango juice are popular.
Last but not least is my favorite section, with creamy smoothies like this sweet corn drink. Some common other ones you might see are taro, mung bean, red bean, and papaya. They’re all delicious and refreshing!
My standard drink is hot water with lemon, even when I’m in a bar! But when traveling in China, I look for these creamy drinks, and I treat myself whenever I find them on a menu.
A Note On Serving Temperatures & Ingredients
Summer temperatures are climbing, so a cold drink probably sounds good right about now, but these creamy drinks are versatile for all seasons—they can be served cold in the summer or warm in colder months. I like mine room temperature. If you like it cold, it’s best to chill the drink before serving—using ice will dilute the drink and make it watery!
To make things easy, you can use any milk of your choice, even oat milk and almond milk for those of us who are dairy-free. I recently discovered oat milk, and I love it.
But with all non-dairy milks, be careful with the sugar levels, as some come pre-sweetened. As always when cooking at home, you should adjust the sweetness to your tastes—you can use sugar or honey, or omit the sweetener altogether.
I hope you enjoy this creamy sweet corn drink!
Chinese Sweet Corn Drink: Recipe Instructions
Grab your knife and trim off the corn kernels by firmly holding each ear of corn vertically and slicing downwards.
Transfer the corn kernels to a small pot, with just enough water to cover them.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and add the sugar.
Simmer for 10 minutes, ensuring you don’t cook off all the liquid. After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool until the corn is cool enough to touch.
Next, add the corn along with the cooking water to a blender, and puree until completely smooth (this takes time). Add the cold milk and blend to combine.
Finally, you can strain after blending, but I like the thicker texture and added fiber! Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator before serving.
For more refreshing summer beverages, try our Sour Plum Tea (Suan Mei Tang) and Frozen Peach Daiquiris!
Creamy Sweet Corn Drink
Ingredients
- 2 ears sweet corn
- water
- 2 cups milk (regular milk or non-dairy milk of choice)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey; optional/to taste)
Instructions
- Trim off the corn kernels by firmly holding each ear of corn vertically and carefully slicing downwards with a sharp knife. Transfer the corn kernels to a small pot, with just enough water to cover them.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and add the sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, ensuring you don’t cook off all the liquid. After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool until the corn is cool enough to touch.
- Next, add the corn along with the cooking water to a blender, and puree until completely smooth (this takes time). Add the milk and blend to combine.
- Finally, you can strain after blending, but I like the thicker texture and added fiber! Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Had this several times in China, very nice. Small suggestion: if you lay the ear of corn down on a cutting board and slice the kernels that way, you might not need to sweep the floor! Only took me 50+ years of cooking to figure that out. Thanks for all the great recipes and commentary!
Hahaha…good tip :-) Thank you, Richard.
Hi Richard, that’s a great tip! I’ve found that if I halve the corn cob cross-wise, and then cut down vertically, it really reduces the corn spray. Tho a couple of kernels may escape, it’s not the mess that it is when you go whole cob. Cheers!
Nice recipe. Btw atol de elote and chciha morada are popula rin America because its from there. Atol de Elote is a Native Guatemalan beverage and chicha morada is Peruvian.
I had it in China, June, but have not seen it in America.
If you add one step, you can completely upgrade the nutritional profile of this delicious slurp: use the side of a serving spoon to scrape down those exposed kernel bases to add the germ to your drink. Otherwise, all you’ve got is carbs…delicious carbs, but just carbs. I think I have made this argument here before – that leaving the germ on the cob is like opting for highly milled white flour when you could have had whole grain.
Thank you. Wonderful recipes. Authentic ingredients (I’ll have to follow your source). Entertaining writing, and the trips are a lovely bonus.
Thanks
Obviously non-alcoholic is best :) but I can’t help suspect that this would go well with a dash of Malibu added! :)