Sweetcorn boiled in its silk, with the corn water to drink
Corn cobs boiled with their husks and silk: eat the corn as a snack and sip the lightly sweet cooking water like tea — cooling, cleansing and filling.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: The Summer Solstice is hot and humid, and a Damp-Heat constitution easily gets a bitter taste in the mouth, dark urine and oily, spot-prone skin. Corn silk promotes urination and clears damp heat, while corn strengthens the spleen. Boiled together, they give you a snack and a tea from one pot, with no sugar needed.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min- 1Strip off the tough outer husks, keeping two or three tender inner husks and the silk, and rinse everything well.
- 2Put the corn, husks and silk in a pot, cover with water, bring to the boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- 3Lift out the corn and cut it into chunks. Strain the corn water and drink it warm or at room temperature, with no sugar.
Cautions
- Corn silk is diuretic, so don't drink much of the corn water right before bed.
Chef's tips
- Choose corn whose silk is still pale gold and moist; organic corn is best when you are using the silk and husks.
The TCM view
Corn is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stimulating the appetite. Corn silk is sweet, bland and neutral, draining water and damp and clearing heat; the husks also promote urination. Together they resolve damp without depleting, helping a Damp-Heat constitution flush out the damp heat that builds up in summer.
