Sometimes we get a food fact or question stuck in our heads and we can’t let it go until we’ve learned as much as we can. Like, did y’all know that nearly all bananas you’ve ever eaten are just clones of each other? Now you do. Good luck trying to ever look at them the same . Even the most common, everyday fruits and vegetables are all bizarre and endlessly interesting once you scratch the surface. And that brings us to today’s topic: corn, baby corn.
After a recent rewatch of 1988’s BIG with Tom Hanks and the iconic baby corn snacking scene, there’s been a burning question lingering in the back of our brains: what in the actual hell is baby corn? Well, that and isn’t it weird how Elizabeth Perkin’s character basically fucked a 14-year-old boy? That ain’t right and neither is baby corn. Once you start unpacking that shit you only start having more and more questions. Is baby corn immature corn? Is this some kinda Frankenfood, a bastard child of baby carrots and candy corn? Is baby corn some test tube veggie being pushed on us as part of The Vegan Agenda™️? Quelle horreur!
Once you start pulling at this thread, the more you realize how little you know about this crudité staple. If it’s just a regular veggie then why the fuck have you never seen it fresh at the grocery store? Think about it. Sure, with some light Googling you can get some answers, but take a sec and appreciate your ignorance.
Surprisingly enough, baby corn is legit just young corn- that’s it. Not like Tom Hanks in BIG young but waaayyy younger. It’s grown on your typical Field of Dreams stalks (or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, pick your corn field vibes), and harvested once the silk becomes visible. Apparently, humans just decided that sometimes we like to eat teeny tiny corn, and we pick it all young and underdeveloped. Odd right? The largest producer of baby corn is currently Thailand, but wherever there’s corn being grown there could always be baby corn. WE’RE CALLING YOU OUT IOWA STEP UP YOUR GROW GAME.
Mature corn is normally harvested by a machine called a grain combine, whereas baby corn needs to be hand-picked, making it a real pain in the ass to harvest. That’s why it’s not something you can just go grab in the produce section of your local grocery store. Things that are hand-harvested, like saffron, vanilla- and apparently baby corn- are always going to be scarcer and more expensive because of the manual labor. If you’re lucky you might find some in the canned goods aisle near the peas, otherwise your best bet is ordering online or check your nearest Asian market. Unless of course your farmers’ market is legit as fuck.
But since baby corn is immature when it’s picked you can eat the whole ear, cob and all, unlike its big brother/future self. The only downside is there isn’t much nutritional value to it, because it got harvested before it had a chance to grow up and get all the vitamins, minerals and other essential shit that corn is usually packing. But what it lacks in nutritional value it makes up for in downright cuteness. Think of it as the mini-donut of the veggie world.
Baby corn is mostly found in Thai dishes and on crudité platters in the United States —with other bite-sized veggies for obvious reasons: it provides a nice crunch and it’s a conversational icebreaker. Baby corn straight from the can tastes sweet and just a little pickled, like if fresh summer corn and canned artichoke hearts had a baby it’d be this silly shit. Slightly soft but still a crunchy consistency. But this adorable little vegetable is versatile as fuck; you can eat it right from the can, roast it, toss it in a salad, eat the kernels off like it regular corn for a predictable laugh, or basically however the fuck you want. Fresh baby corn tastes like, well… sweet lil corn. Consider it a must-buy if you ever find it. It’s equally delicious AND hilarious.
Wanna cook something with it? WE THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK!
For starters you could throw together our fake-out fried rice salad from our third cookbook Bad Manners 101: Fast as Fuck. It tastes goddamn delicious and much healthier for you than take-out. And because we love y’all so much, we’ve included the recipe below. Sure, you could use regular corn kernels, raw or cooked, but baby corn from a can looks goofy as hell and you get to drop all this dope dinner party trivia you just learned.
FRIED RICE SALAD
Makes enough for 4-6
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 cups cooked brown rice, chilled
2 cups sliced kale
2 cups chopped sugar snap peas
1 cup chopped cucumbers
1 cup chopped baby corn
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup chopped cilantro or basil, your choice
1. Make the dressing by mixing up the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, and ginger in a small glass.
2. In a big ass bowl mix together the rice, kale, peas, cucumbers, corn, green onions, and cilantro. Pour over the dressing you’re already fucking finished. You can serve this right away or let it chill for a bit in the fridge. Best the day it's made.
For those of you joining us tomorrow, we’ll be continuing our Beans and Rice series with more bean-based knowledge and a brand new recipe using one of our top 4 legumes of all time: black eyed peas. It’s gonna be a banger, obvs.
Thanks again for joining us here in The Broiler Room. Same time next week?
Michelle and Matt
I love baby corn. I always keep a can around. mostly I use it for stir fry and when I do I have to try hard not to shove half the can in my mouth while I'm getting it ready. Every grocery around me has had it most of my life in the Asian section.
You can get fresh baby corn at the grocery store in the UK - we used to use it for stir fry all the time.