Coix seed soy milk with steamed corn
Unsweetened homemade soy milk with coix seed, served with sweet steamed corn on the cob — light, clean and not greasy.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat brings a bitter taste, oily skin and sticky stools, and Hong Kong is still 25–30°C at Autumn Equinox. Coix clears heat and drains damp, corn helps fluids pass, and soy milk moistens without heaviness — clearing damp-heat while guarding against autumn dryness.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min- 1The night before, rinse the soybeans and coix seed, cover with water and soak in the fridge for 8 hours.
- 2In the morning, drain them and put them in a soy milk maker with 1 litre of fresh water on the grains or soy milk setting, about 25 minutes.
- 3Meanwhile, halve the corn and steam over high heat for 12–15 minutes, or microwave on high for 5–6 minutes.
- 4No soy milk maker? Blend, strain and bring to the boil — the first foam is a false boil, so turn the heat down and simmer 8 more minutes, stirring.
- 5Leave the soy milk unsweetened and serve warm with the corn.
Cautions
- Avoid coix seed during pregnancy — use adzuki beans instead.
Chef's tips
- Keep the corn silk: rinse it and simmer in water for 15 minutes for a heat-clearing corn silk tea to take to the office.
The TCM view
Raw coix seed is sweet, bland and cool; it clears heat, drains damp and supports digestion. Corn is sweet and neutral and promotes urination; soybeans are sweet and neutral, and as soy milk they moisten dryness and build strength. All light and clean, they drain damp without drying out fluids — ideal for Damp-Heat in a dry autumn.
