Sook Mei Faan (Cantonese Creamed Corn With Tofu and Rice)

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Aug. 25, 2020

Sook Mei Faan (Cantonese Creamed Corn With Tofu and Rice)
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(993)
Comments
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Creamed corn over rice is a quintessential Cantonese dish often served at cha chaan tengs, casual diners that are ubiquitous in Hong Kong. There are many variations of sook mei faan, or corn rice. Some include chunks of pork or chicken, while another rendition has the creamy corn ladled over fried fish fillets. While this dish is traditionally made with canned creamed corn, this vegan version uses fresh corn, which offers a well-rounded sweetness that still feels bright, and is served over cold silken tofu, offering a pleasing contrast in texture and temperature.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2(14-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained
  • 3cups corn kernels (1 pound), from 3 large cobs or thawed from frozen
  • 1tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed, vegetable or canola, plus more as needed
  • 1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2scallions, finely sliced, plus more for serving
  • 1½cups vegetable stock
  • Kosher salt
  • White pepper
  • 2teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  • Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish
  • Sesame oil or chile oil, for drizzling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

442 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 1129 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Carefully pat the tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel, and cut each block into 8 slices.

  2. Step 2

    Place half the corn kernels into a blender or food processor, and blitz until creamy but still chunky.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a medium saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions, and cook for 20 seconds until aromatic. (They shouldn't brown too much.) Add the remaining corn kernels, along with the blitzed corn and vegetable stock, season well with salt and white pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to bring the mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, slowly add the cornstarch slurry, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened.

  4. Step 4

    Divide rice among bowls. For each serving, lay 4 slices of silken tofu on top of the rice and top with a few spoonfuls of the creamed corn. Finish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with sesame or chile oil.

Tip
  • If you don’t have cornstarch, you can thicken the creamed corn by adding an egg. Beat 1 egg, reduce heat to low, and slowly pour the egg in a steady stream into the corn mixture. (Do not stir.) Allow to cook for 30 seconds, then slowly stir with chopsticks or a fork to create long strands of egg. This dish can also be eaten with pasta or noodles.

Ratings

4 out of 5
993 user ratings
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Comments

STLCooks

Such a delicious recipe. The textures are everything. Using fresh sweet corn was a fantastic choice to balance out the ginger-garlic-scallion mix. To those wondering, no, you do not cook the tofu. Placing the slices on top of the hot rice and ladling the hot creamed corn over it just gently warms it, though. We drizzled chile crisp over the top, which really took the dish to the next level. Best of all: it's so darn easy and quick to make!!! Dinner was ready in 20 minutes.

Caryle

Does the tofu not need to be cooked?

lizinboston

I whipped it up for lunch with corn left over from last night's dinner; it was easy and comfort food-ish to the point of being a little bland. Some gochujang took care of that (sriracha also would have worked.) Next time, I might add some soy sauce and some sprouts and crushed peanuts on top for some crunch. I also "wrung out" the corn cobs and added that liquid to the veggie stock. Thanks!

Carla

I really loved this recipe, definitely a 5/5 for me. Great textures and fun temperature difference. We also topped ours with chili crisp and it was wonderful. The white pepper is fantastic in this too. It feels fancy but is so quick to make.

Anne

This came out so good! I am lazy about dirtying extra things so I didn’t blitz the corn in the food processor first. I sautéed the garlic and ginger first, then added half the corn and broth and hit that with my immersion blender before adding the other items. Only dirtied one pot (plus rice cooker) and it was delicious! I used momofuku chile crunch as the topping and added crispy shallots because why not.

Diana

I made the recipe as written, and used Chile crisp for drizzling. It was terrific. I usually make extra sauce and had some corn sauce leftover, so I sauteed fresh asparagus, and poured the corn sauce over them, and garnished with scallions. A second great recipe! I am adding both to my rotation.

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