Vegan Elote Chowder

Elote, or "Mexican street corn", is the inspiration for this late summer chowder that is full of beneficial fats, proteins, vitamins, and dietary fibres essential to a body that is undergoing chemo.

This recipe is made possible through Monsoon Coast, makers of small-batch, artisanal spice blends based out of Salt Spring Island, whose sponsorship allows me to make some of my recipes here on Amalgam—including the ones under Your Body Has Memory—free and accessible for everyone.

A disclaimer: Please note that I am not a registered dietician, certified nutritionist, oncologist, or medical expert of any sort, and that I am only sharing with you my experiences during my cancer journey and all the recipes that I have developed, cooked, and eaten during my treatments. The recipes under YBHM should not be taken as official medical advice and you should consult your GP and your oncology team about foods that may counter the kind of chemo meds you are receiving. Every cancer diagnosis is different. YBHM serves as a source of culinary inspiration for those fighting cancer, and for their caretakers, too. Food and cooking is a big part of my life, and the recipes I have developed here are fun, creative, and nourishing, and I hope you think so, too.

We are all in this together.

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The inspiration for this chowder arrived a little over a year after my last round of aggressive chemo, and during a bout of COVID that ravaged my body still undergoing maintenance infusions to keep whatever cancer I have left stable and at bay. Violent coughs racked my body for over two months, coming in at a crescendo around the month and a half mark. This cough completely destroyed all my vocal cords; to this day, my voice is still not up to its full capacity, and it still hurts to talk at times. I was running on very little sleep and energy during the times my cough had crescendoed, and out went every resolve I had to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals for me and my husband. I relied heavily on delivery services and prepared items for nutrition, so it was a very expensive two months, food-wise. It was a miserable summer for me. I hated not being able to go outside, I hated not being able to sleep for more than two hours at a time, and most of all, I hated not being able to cook.

After one of my routine appointments at BC Cancer, we made a pit stop to Whole Foods to get some ready-made items that I can quickly heat up over the stove. I had developed a fondness for a specific brand of ready-made dal and wanted to stock up on that particular brand, when a packet of vegan corn chowder from a different brand also caught my eye. It looked good, but it was expensive—$9.99 for 387 ml of soup. Ouch. Still, I treated myself to it—remember, folks, I was miserable, and I wanted something sunny, summery, and comforting— so into my shopping basket that corn chowder went. Just one packet, just for a taste.

I had been saving that corn chowder for a day when I felt like I would truly need something sunny to cheer me up, and sure enough, after a particularly frustrating appointment at my GP’s, I opened up the corn chowder packet, heated it up, then garnished my store-bought soup with some scallions and cilantro for some added flavour and a much-needed green pop.

The base of this vegan corn chowder was made out of coconut milk, so I expected to be hit with a big dose of coconut, like many coconut milk-based vegan things, of course, but I was surprised to find that the sweet corn came through quite nicely against the coconut backdrop. In short, this store-bought corn chowder was delicious. Truly, I felt a little sad after I had licked my bowl clean!

I needed to make my own.

I became well enough to shop at my usual farmers’ markets after my coughing started to subside around the two month mark, so I purchased enough sweet corn—which are still very much in season here in BC—to make my own version of the vegan corn chowder I bought at Whole Foods.

I had walnut milk in my pantry and used that as a base for the first iteration of my vegan corn chowder, and while it certainly was delicious, I wasn’t too keen on the chowder’s colour! Walnut milk has the colour of a really pale malted milk chocolate drink, and I was after a yellow colour—to echo the corn, of course! Intellectually, even if I had used, say, whole milk to make this corn chowder, the yellow would not be as pronounced as the corn kernels; it would be more of a pale butter yellow colour. That pale butter yellow I can work with, but not the light brown! Walnut milk is out.

I was hesitant to use coconut milk when first making this corn chowder because I thought I could do away with the coconut flavour altogether, and instead, use an unsweetened nut milk to add some protein into the soup. Walnuts are good for brain, gut, and heart health, and are a known anti-cancer food, plus, the milk itself is neutral enough that the sweet corn could truly shine and not have so much of a coconut undertone.

When I develop a recipe, I also develop for aesthetics. After trying out walnut milk, I knew immediately that I would use coconut milk for my next round after all, and that I would have to find some other way to incorporate protein into the soup.

There were also some textural things I needed to fix after my first round of vegan chowder, so I gave this recipe some space, then made it again a couple of weeks later, but with some tweaks.

Well, I nailed it on this round, and I could not be more happy with what I ended up!

Let’s go through some of the chemo-supportive elements present in my vegan elote chowder:

• Organic coconut milk: Coconut milk contains lauric acid and phenols: antioxidants that help the body fight and remove free radicals that can cause the body oxidative stress—the kind that can cause heart disease or cancer. Coconut milk contains antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, making it ideal for immune system support. It can also trigger cell death in breast or endometrial cancer cells, inhibiting cancer cell growth.
  
  When shopping for coconut milk, try and get organic as much as possible, and make sure the ingredients contain only one thing: coconut milk.
  

• Shiitake mushroom powder: Shiitake mushrooms boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, increase cell death in cancer cells, inhibit tumour growth, is a well-known chemo-supportive food, contain high amounts of antioxidants, reduces cholesterol levels… I mean, really, the list is endless.
  
  Here’s a personal story: a few months before I was diagnosed, my body kept craving shiitake mushrooms. It was unbelievable… the amount I was consuming on a weekly basis! I was making so many shiitake mushroom-based dishes, that at one point, my husband, during one of our dinners, remarked, incredulously, “Really? Shiitake mushrooms? Again?” I just laughed it off, and continued to cook them week after week. Then I got my diagnosis in November of 2022, and my entire world fell apart.
  
  My friend, a cancer survivor, told me she found out that certain cancers can trick the body into eating what the cancer craves. She had spoken to some patients who found their cravings for sugar—a well-known cancer-loving food—insatiable. I noted my craving for shiitakes and said something along the likes of, “Oh my gosh, I have been eating shiitakes non-stop lately; was this my cancer tricking me???” This same friend gasped, then said, “Your body must be highly intuitive, because your craving for shiitakes was your body’s way of telling you that you really needed their kind of medicine.”
  
  Was that just some hippy-dippy shit? I don’t know, but I really did go through a huge shiitake craving that would not disappear for months and months at a time. I also made it a point to eat many shiitake mushroom dishes during my treatment. To this day, I hold shiitake mushrooms to a very high regard—almost to a spiritual level. I sound overly hyperbolic and a little hippy-dippy myself, but I truly believe these mushrooms, alongside the hard work of my oncology team, helped me keep my life.
  
  A note on shiitake mushroom powder: this may be difficult for you to find at the grocery store! I found mine through my favourite mushroom purveyor at my local farmers’ market. They grow the shiitake mushrooms themselves, then dry the mushrooms before grinding them into a powder. If you cannot find any, get some organic dried shiitakes from the store, then use your food processor to grind it into a fine powder. Alternatively, you can also use organic mushroom bouillon cubes—just read the ingredients to make sure the cubes do not contain any unfamiliar chemicals, ingredients, or food colourings. Mushroom stock and even mushroom liquid concentrate is readily available these days in specialty grocery stores!
  
  Are these items beyond your budget? That’s ok! Use a good-quality vegetable stock; these are fairly inexpensive, and a 1L container will do! This vegan chowder is loaded with so many good ingredients anyway, so it’ll be ok to skip out on the mushrooms!
  
  If you aren’t vegan, a good-quality chicken stock or beef stock will also be amazing on this. The broth made from chicken or beef bones have health benefits too!
  

• Organic sweet corn: Corn contains lots of dietary fibre, both soluble and insoluble, which feed and support the growth of healthy gut bacteria. I have said some form of this before in my YBHM posts—chemo is a scorched earth treatment to aggressive cancers like mine, and they kill everything, including healthy cells. During a lengthy debrief before my chemo treatments, the nurses on my oncology team kept stressing how important it was to eat foods that would aid in the rebuilding of my body’s cells, especially if the chemo results in my loss of appetite. “Force in a bite or two of food, if only to remind yourself that your body needs the nourishment to rebuild what chemo destroys.” I took this advice very seriously. I am very proud to say that during my more aggressive treatments, I experienced very little irregularity in the bathroom because of my whole grain intake, and though I certainly experienced some appetite loss, I forced myself to eat, even if it’s just a little bit.
  
  Corn also contains vitamins A, C, and B, magnesium, potassium, lutein and zeaxanthin—the latter two essential in supporting eye health.
  

• Silken tofu: Tofu is a known protein powerhouse, and is much-beloved by many plant-based eaters for its remarkable blank canvas-like ability to take on all sorts of flavours and textures, making it an ideal substitute for animal protein. It has been known to improve heart health, lower cancer risks, and contains calcium and magnesium—essential for strengthening bones.

I used Monsoon Coast’s Adobo Seco in my vegan chowder. Theirs is my go-to taco seasoning blend. It contains a variety of Mexican chiles, accented by souring spice agents like sumac and amchoor—a green mango powder present in many South Asian dishes. This blend is well-used in my household; it is very unique and extremely delicious.

If you cannot get access to this Adobo Seco because of where you live, try using one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. You can find these in any supermarket these days, or in Mexican grocery stores. Finely mince this chipotle pepper and add it to your corn and veggie sauté.

You can also use Spanish smoked paprika or ancho chile powder or both—about a teaspoon. Adjust the chile levels to your tastes.

Vegan Elote Chowder
(makes around 3 litres of chowder)

Special Equipment

• a blender or an immersion blender

Ingredients

• 500 ml organic coconut milk

• 400 g organic silken tofu

• 1 L water (more, if needed)

• 1 tbsp shiitake mushroom powder (or 2 mushroom bouillon cubes)

• 2 bay leaves

• 3/4 lb Yukon gold or Sieglinde potatoes (approximately 3 to 5 small to medium-sized potatoes), peeled and cut into large chunks

• 5 ears of sweet corn, husks and silks removed

• 3 poblano peppers, de-seeded and finely diced

• 2 red peppers, de-seeded and finely diced

• 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, de-seeded and finely diced

• 1 large onion, finely diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

• 2 tsp Monsoon Coast Adobo Seco

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme, chopped

• 2 limes

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• sea salt to taste

• fresh cilantro and scallions for garnish

Method

1. Run a knife through the ears of the sweet corn to remove the kernels. Set one heaping cup of fresh kernels aside and leave the rest for the bulk of the chowder. Do not discard the hulled ears.

2. In a stockpot, pour in the coconut milk, a litre of water, bay leaves, shiitake mushroom powder, the hulled ears of corn, and the peeled and cut potatoes. Simmer on medium with the lid on the stockpot until the potatoes have softened, or enough so that the potatoes can easily be mashed with a fork.

3. Turn off the heat. Fish out the hulled ears of corn and the bay leaves and discard these. Fish out the softened potatoes and mash them with a fork or a masher. Set these mashed potatoes aside. Pour the heaping cup of fresh corn kernels and silken tofu into this coconut milk and mushroom stock base, and turn the heat on medium-low with the lid on to let the corn and tofu simmer into the stock and for the corn kernels to soften slightly.

4. Turn off the heat, and carefully transfer the coconut milk, mushroom, corn, and silken tofu mix into a blender, or blend carefully using your immersion blender, until the stock has visibly thickened, the silken tofu has been completely incorporated, and there are very little solid corn kernels left. Transfer the mashed potatoes into this mix and stir thoroughly to combine. Set aside.

5. In another stock pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the remaining corn kernels, diced poblano peppers, diced red peppers, diced onion, and minced garlic until fragrant and the onion is slightly translucent. Add in the Adobo Seco or taco seasoning, turmeric, marjoram, and thyme and continue to sauté until the herbs and spices start to impart their oils and aromas.

6. Carefully add in the thickened coconut, mushroom, corn, silken tofu, and potato stock and stir thoroughly to combine. If the chowder looks a little too thick, add just enough water to get the chowder to the consistency you want. Turn the heat down to medium low, then add the juice and zest of two limes. Season the chowder with sea salt to taste.

7. Serve piping hot and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and scallions.

This chowder will last in your fridge for about a week, stored in an airtight container. It actually gets better two or three days in, like a stew. When reheating the chowder, it is best to heat it over a stove, for better flavour and texture.

This corn chowder freezes wonderfully! Just store it in an airtight container or a vacuum-sealed bag and freeze. You can reheat straight from the freezer—on the stovetop over medium heat with the lid on the pot, or thawed in the fridge overnight, then reheated on the stovetop from its thawed state.

Wishing you all good health and good eats.

Until next time in my kitchen!
xo, Issha