The legend of the three sisters: Corn, beans and squash are known as the three sisters in Native American heritage and indigenous farmers have always planted them together for centuries. The corn stalks support the bean vines, the bean vines provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil, and the large squash leaves provide shade, prevent weeds and help retain soil moisture. Corn is also one of the oldest grains in the world and is about 10,000 years old. Domesticated by the native and indigenous peoples of Mexico it has since spread widely all around the globe and consumed in large quantities.

I am a big fan of soups all through the year but especially in fall and winter seasons. Growing up, Aai (my mother) made a delicious fresh tomato soup with onions, garlic and ginger and generously added dollops of home made white butter to it. Baba (my father) loved his with a lot of pepper while I loved to dip a slice of toast in it. This was probably the only soup we made at home but on rare occasions when we would go to a restaurant (couple of times a year only), I would always get the sweet corn soup at the Chinese Room.

However, the corn we grew up with was the field corn variety, which was hard, not very sweet nor juicy. Sweet corn became ubiquitous and common in the past few decades and now it is the only corn we can buy easily. Sweet corn is easy to cook as it is soft and easily adds texture and taste to any dish.

Step by Step

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1. Gather and prepare the following together:
   • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped into big pieces
   • 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
   • 2 medium tomatoes, washed and cut in half
   • 1 fresh jalapeno, serrano or green chili pepper-de-seeded and cut in half
   • 1 cup sweet corn kernels- fresh or frozen
2. Place all in a pressure cooker (1 whistle) or instant pot (10 mins high pressure) or a steamer (steam till cooked through).
3. Allow to cool.
4. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard.
5. Blend to a thick puree.
6. Pour into a pan.
7. Add 2 Tbsp of butter, salt, pepper, red chili powder (all to taste).
8. If you want to make it vegan
   • skip the butter
   • heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan and add the puree to it

14. Add fresh chopped cilantro and a handful of whole corn kernels.
15. Cover and simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes.

Serve warm with a squeeze of lime and some crusty bread on the side

Some Tips

This soup can be made 2-3 days in advance and refrigerated till ready to serve. While heating add some spices and fresh cilantro.

I made this soup with frozen organic sweet corn kernels as they are very easy to use.

You can substitute fresh tomatoes with 1 cup of diced or crushed tomatoes in a can.

When the corn is blended it adds texture to the soup and if you think it is too thick, you can thin it out with 1/2 c water. I did not add water as I like hearty thick soups.

I had bought dried jalapeno powder on a trip to New Mexico and I sprinkled some in the soup as I did not have fresh chillies that day.

I used Amul butter as it has a very comforting aroma of home for me.

I poured the pureed soup into a slow cooker (Crockpot) and set the temperature on low. The soup was perfectly blended and ready to eat within an hour.

You can add some grated cheese or crushed tortilla chips on top before serving.