Suam na Mais with Shrimp-Filipino Corn Soup

“Rainy days are coming!” What better time to sip a hot and creamy Suam na Mais than these times when the breeze turns a bit colder when evening approaches.

You know about corn soups, but not everyone knows how to prepare them as we do in the Philippines.

And even if you are a Filipino, not everyone, especially those who grew up in cities and fast-food diets, that we can cook it with leafy greens and meats.

To cook Suam na Mais is relatively easy. Depending on the corn you will use and prepare, the result can either have a creamy soup or a flavorful broth.

Ingredients for Suam na Mais Recipe

NOTE: Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the exact measurements.

Although we can use the yellow corn variant, keep in mind that the best corn variant to produce the best Filipino corn soup is the glutenous corn, aka the wax corn or Lagkitan as we call it.

Either with husks or bare, purchasing this corn is worth ₱50 per kilo, at least at the time of this writing. You can also take home nine to eleven pieces, depending on their sizes.

I bought two kilos of medium-sized corns with husks, so I took away nine of them.

According to some traditions experts, while some would use chicken or pork meat for their recipes, the Suam na Mais is traditionally cooked with Bagoong Alamang and procedures that might take you beyond an hour of cooking.

Hearty Tongue will feature those types of corn soup cooking in future posts.

Right now, we will omit Bagoong Alamang in this recipe. Also, we will reduce the prep and cooking time.

We’ll use shrimps, shrimp broth cube, and a bunch of Dahon ng Ampalaya (bitter gourd leaves) together with the essential aromatics, i.e., minced garlic and chopped onion.

I will assume that some readers of this article are newbies in home cooking. So I have to be clear with some instructions:

• Ensure to peel off the shells and devein the shrimps before cooking.
• Some people might find it unpalatable when the Suam na Mais turn out to be more bitter than expected. So, as for the Dahon ng Ampalaya, we only need the leaves (Dahon) and use them sparingly. It usually sells for ₱10 for each bundle, leaves still attached with the vines wrapped with a rubber band.

See how simple the ingredients we have here? Do not worry; it will still leave us with a hearty Filipino corn soup.

RELATED: We're guessing that you like soups. You can also check the other recipes, like the Chicken Sopas, Beef Mami, and Misua Soup with Patola and Chicken. We know you’ll love it too!

What Tools Needed

• Cooking pot with lid
• Santoku and a regular knife
• Chopping board
• Any deep food bowl for the corn
• Stainless steel spoon, we'll use for scraping
• Cooking spoon and spatula