Corn Potage (Japanese Corn Soup)

Simple, sweet and creamy Japanese Corn Potage made with just 2-ingredients! Enjoyed hot or chilled, this comfort soup is perfect for chilly summer evenings. (Vegan + Dairy Free)

If you've ever been to Japan, you've probably come across vending machines-- they're everywhere! One of my all time favourite things to get was the Corn Potage. Depending on when my family and I went to Japan, it would be sold either hot (in the winter) or cold (in the summer). The cold version tastes like a sweet corn milkshake and the warm version is literally the most comforting soup ever.

Now that we're over halfway through summer, the evenings are starting to get a little chilly so I've been craving all the corn soup. My mom has been making this corn soup every other day because we love it that much.

What is Corn Potage / Japanese Corn Soup?

The term Potage originated in the cuisine of northern France and are considered thick soups, stews or porridges. Interestingly enough, there doesn't seem to be a western-style of corn potage on the internet but instead, Japanese corn potage recipes come up.

So whats Japanese Corn Potage? It's a french-influenced corn soup that's creamy, smooth and ultra rich in the corn's natural sweet flavour.

In Japan, it's all about convenience which is why most people will purchase the instant soup powder (which is actually very delicious). But making it at home from scratch is always so much better, especially when sweet summer corn is in season.

From scratch, it's typically made with corn, butter and milk/cream. And what makes it different from western corn soups or corn chowder is that the corn kernels get blended up and strained (which removed the fibers). And what you're left with is a silky smooth and rich thick(ish) soup.

How to Make Japanese Corn Potage

The Ingredients

Like I mentioned above, corn potage is made with corn, butter, cream and milk. To make it vegan, we can easily swap those out with dairy free alternatives.

My mom makes it with just whole milk and fresh summer corn but she's also been making it with pure whole soy milk which also comes out incredibly delicious. The key to this 2-ingredient corn soup is using really sweet, juicy corn and a pure soy milk. The thicker the corn kernels, the sweeter the soup comes out. The more pure the soy milk, the richer it is without any additive flavours you might get from branded soy milks.

We use homemade soy milk because we can adjust the thickness of the milk (we keep it on the thicker side, similar to when making dairy-free creamer with nuts) but the soy milks you can find at asian markets will work in a pinch. In Japan, we're able to get soy creamer which helps thicken up the sop so if you have access to that, I'd highly recommend adding that in as well for a richer soup. I don't recommend western-branded soy milks as they do have a different flavour profile coming from additives.

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The Directions

Simple ingredients require simple and easy steps:

1. Prep the Corn: Cook the corn in boiling water until bright in yellow. Shave off the corn kernels.
2. Blend: Add the corn kernels and soy milk to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Strain: Pour the soup over a fine mesh sieve and strain. Use a spatula or wooden paddle to go back and forth to help the soup seep through.

At this point, you could add some salt to flavour but we usually keep it plain. Sometimes, if we're feeling fancy we'll add some croutons, soy cream or fresh parsley on for garnish.

This soup is great for lunch with onigiri or curried fried rice, as a side with dinner or even as a light snack! If you like simple creamy soups like this one, I think you'll really enjoy his Kabocha Potage as well 🙂

If you recreate this Corn Potage recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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