Baby Corn and Corn Silk

Ingredient Name:  Baby corn, baby maize, candle corn or corn shoots (as directly translated in Chinese)

Traditional Chinese Name: 玉米筍 (yù mǐ sǔn)

What is this?

  • A premature corn that has a relatively soft cob that can be eaten whole
  • They are normally 4.5 – 10 cm in length depending on when they were harvested
  • They are harvested around the time that the corn silk emerges from the ear tips (thereby enabling the harvester to also remove the corn silk – as shown above)

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse in warm water and use

Where can I buy this?

  • This is available fresh in most Asian supermarkets
  • To find it with the corn silk is not common, but wet marts in Hong Kong will carry them (seasonally)
  • It’s not common to find it with the ears (as the corn will already be prepared)
  • Canned baby corn is most common and available in most supermarkets, though for usage in soups, it’s not recommended to use canned/processed baby corn – fresh is always best

What is the cost?

  • A bunch as picture above cost $5 HKD

Any benefits?

  • Corn contains healthy amounts of Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Folate (Vitamin B9), Vitamin C and Magnesium
  • It is low in fat but high in dietary fibers

Any precautions?

  • Some people think that since it is a vegetable, it is a relatively complete substitute for many foods – however, corn has a lot of starch and should be eaten in conjunction with other vegetables and legumes

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