Suam (Kapampangan Corn Soup)

Suam is the Kapampangan version of Corn Soup. Western style corn soup recipes will usually have cream included, but this one doesn’t. It’s one of the few soups I like that is 99% vegetables. You can make it vegan by using salt instead of fish sauce. We have it as an accompaniment to a meal of grilled or fried food. I skip rice if I’m having suam, as it’s already carbohydrate-rich.

The corn usually used in this recipe is a white kernel corn variety, as it has more starch. Using Japanese variety corn will make it sweeter. Use the freshest and juiciest corn you can find.

This recipe serves two to four persons, depending on how much soup they want to eat. If you would like to make more, use 1 ear of corn and 500 milliliters water per person. The seasoning should still be adjusted based on taste. If you are making more than the recipe describes, make sure to use a bigger saucepan that can accommodate the amount of ingredients you will use.

Ingredients

• 1 small bundle fresh chili leaves (dahon ng siling labuyo)

• 1 liter water

• 2 fresh ears of corn

• 1 medium onion

• 1 teaspoon oil for sautéing

• fish sauce (patis) to taste, start with 1 teaspoon

Procedure

1. Wash fresh chili leaves. Separate leaves from stalk. Discard stalk. Set aside.

2. Prepare a bowl filled with 1 liter water. There should be enough space in the bowl to add the corn cobs. Set bowl near where you will grate the corn.

3. Remove husk and silk from corn. Using the finest grater you have or a microplane, grate the corn kernels from the corn cob over a bowl. Some of the kernels will still be left on the cob. Use a knife to scrape off the remaining pieces of corn kernel from the cob into the bowl. Once kernels have been scraped from cob, place cob in prepared bowl with water. Repeat with remaining corn.

4. Allow corn cobs to soak in water for at least 10 minutes. Wash your hands. Squeeze and wring cob with your hands to remove moisture and remaining corn flavor from the cob. Discard cobs and set aside liquid for soup.

5. Peel and roughly chop onion.

6. Get a large saucepan big enough to hold at least 1.5 liters of liquid. Add oil. Place over medium heat. When pan is hot, add onions and sauté until they are translucent.

7. Add grated corn and prepared liquid.

8. Add 1 teaspoon fish sauce. Mix well. Taste. Add more if needed.

9. Allow mixture to come to a boil.

10. If you find the soup too thick, add water until it reaches your desired consistency.

11. Taste the soup. Add 1 teaspoon of fish sauce if needed. Repeat this step until you season it to your liking.

12. Add chili leaves. Mix well. Serve immediately.

Photo by Rica Palomo-Espiritu