Hulled Corn Soup (Ai)
Submitted by bayoulady10
Hulled corn soup (Ai) is a traditional Native American dish made by nixtamalizing dried corn with hardwood ashes, then simmering with red kidney beans and salt pork for hours until tender.
YIELD
1 servingsPREP
60 minCOOK
4 hrsREADY
5 hrsThis is one of the oldest recipes in North American cooking. Hulled corn soup, called “Ai” in the Seneca language, uses hardwood ashes to nixtamalize dried Indian corn, removing the tough outer hull and transforming the kernels into something tender, swollen, and deeply flavored. Simmered for hours with red kidney beans and salt pork, this is the kind of slow-cooked food that feeds a crowd and warms you from the inside out.
The ashes act as a natural alkali, loosening the corn hulls the same way lime (cal) works in Mexican nixtamalization for tortillas. When the hulls slip off between your fingers after about 20 minutes, the corn is ready for rinsing.
Repeated rinsing and parboiling removes the ash residue until the water runs clear. This step takes patience but is essential for a clean-tasting soup.
Kitchen Tips
- Use clean hardwood ashes (oak, hickory, or maple). Softwood or treated wood ashes are not safe for cooking.
- Rinse and parboil the corn multiple times. If the water still looks cloudy, keep going.
- Add plenty of water to the final cook. The hulled corn swells dramatically over the 3-4 hour simmer.
- Stir occasionally and add water as needed. The corn absorbs liquid continuously and the pot can go dry.
Variations
- Use ham hock instead of salt pork for a smokier flavor.
- Add venison instead of pork for a more traditional Haudenosaunee version.
- Some families add wild onion or other foraged greens near the end of cooking.
Ingredients
Directions
Put enough water in an old kettle to cover the corn, Bring to a boil; add corn and ashes.
Cook about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
This loosens the hulls or shells on the corn.
When the hulls slip off the kernels by working between the fingers, drain the water and rinse corn in cold water, working corn with the fingers to help remove hulls.
Drain and parboil; drain, rinse and parboil again.
Repeat several times until the parboiled water looks clean and clear, (A handmade basket is traditionally used for this purpose.)
When corn is good and clean, place it in a large kettle or canner with clean water.
Parboil washed beans separately until water is colored; add both water and beans to the corn mixture.
Cut salt pork into small pieces; add to the corn and beans.
Be sure to use plenty of water because the corn will swell as it cooks.
Cook 3 or 4 hours, or until corn is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed.
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