Written & Medically reviewed by 
Dr.Sanjana.V.B. Bhms. Dbrm.Cdn

Mexican corn soup

It is a healthy vegetarian soup with antioxidant nutrients.

Cooking time 30 min

Serving 2

Ingredients

·       Sweet corn - 4 cups

·       onion, finely chopped- ¼ cup

·       garlic minced -1tablespoon

·       celery, finely chopped -1/4 cup

·       chillipowder-1 ½ teaspoon

·        cumin- ½   teaspoon

·        Paprika[red pepper]- ½   teaspoon

·       Salt and pepper-to taste.

·       coriander leaves [cilantro] chopped- ¼  cup

·        olive oil-1 tablespoon

·       vegetable stock- 4 cups

·       lime juice -1tablespoon

·       cream-1 cup

·       cotija [Mexican cheese]-1/4 cup- optional

Preparation

 Step 1 

You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn for making this soup. Grilled corn also can be used. Wash the corns using fresh water. Make sure to drain off the water from the can.Set aside the corn

 Step2

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute stirring well. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes stirring well.

 Step3

Add half the corn mixture to a blender along with the vegetable stock and set aside half portion of corns for garnishing later. Blend until the added corns become smooth and creamy. 

 Step4

Pour the blended soup into a pot and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.

 Stir in after adding heavy cream and lime juice.

 Season to taste with salt and pepper. Switch off stove.

Garnish with sautéed corns[ already set aside] and celery leaves and chopped cilantro. You may top up the soup with cotija cheese crumbled. Avoid cheese if you want to have a completely healthy soup.

Health benefits

Corns are good source of antioxidant carotenoids. Antioxidants fight against oxidative stress causing free radicals which are the major cause of DNA damage, ageing and various grave diseases. Corn is rich in vitamin C, which is also an antioxidant. Sweet corns also contain some amount of protein.

Fibers in corn help gut health and heart health.

Corn is gluten free and therefore it could be consumed by people having coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.

Yellow corn is a good source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for vision and eye health. These compounds prevent macular degeneration of eyes and hence prevent blindness.

Corn is a starchy vegetable; that means it contains sugar and carbohydrates that can raise your blood sugar levels after consumption. However, moderate eating of corns wouldn’t raise blood sugar too high. 

 Celery contains a plant compound called apigenin, which plays a role in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant agent.celery has anti cancerous properties. Selinene ,limonene, kaempferol ,p-coumaric acid are other antioxidant compounds present in celery.

Garlic helps boost the body's immune system, reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Onions contain various vitamins, minerals, and potent plant compounds that have been shown to promote health in many ways.  Onions are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant which boost immunity as well as collagen formation skin and muscle health

 They are also  a good source of potassium which regulates blood pressure.

It also contains folates and vitamin B6.

References

1.    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324199#conclusion

2.    https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/corn-health-benefits