Roasted Corn and Silk Tea (옥수수차 Oksusu cha)

Corn tea/Oksusu cha(옥수수차) and Barley tea/Bori Cha (보리차) are two kinds of teas that are an essential part of Korean cuisine. Oksusu cha has a slightly sweet note with a great roast flavor. Bori Cha is not at all sweet, slightly smokey and has a bit of a bitter after taste but yet has a cleansing effect. Oksusu cha is a more warming food and Bori Cha is a cooling food so you may actually have a little bit of tummy reaction if you drink a lot of Bori cha and you have a cold body type.

On cold winter days, this deliciously soothing Oksusu cha really warms up your body when served hot. Served ice cold on a hot summer day, it quenches your thirst like nothing else. Honestly, I would have never imagined making corn tea at home. And most of my Korean friends would have told me that I was crazy if I told them I was going to make Oksusu cha at home. I mean, even my mother-in-law, the “make everything at home” queen gave me a “You made this at home??!” response when I gave her a bag of my home made Oksusu cha. No one makes corn tea at home, especially if you live in Seoul.

But for couple reasons I decided to make Roasted Corn Tea at home. First, a friend gave me a huge bag of Korean corn recently. Sadly, no one in my family was eating them. It’s not because we don’t like corn – it’s because Korean corn is much more starchy and gummy than US sweet corn. Most Koreans love this kind of glutinous corn (called 찰옥수수 chal oksusu) but personally, I never liked it- even when I was a kid. Second, it’s really hard to find organic whole Oksusu cha even in Korea. There are organic oksusu cha tea bags but the taste of tea bags and tea made from actually boiling Oksusu (corn) are totally different. And the last reason is that I wanted to get Oksusu Suyeom Cha (Corn Silk Tea) with the highest efficacy and I knew making it at home was the best way.

Oksusu Suyeom cha(옥수수수염차) is tea made from dried corn silk. Korean Corn Silk Tea is known to have many diuretic properties which can help flush out toxins from the urinary tract. It can also increase urination and decrease inflammation. The tea also helps to lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms of kidney stones.But since the flavor of corn silk tea is very light, I fine it tastes best when you combine Oksusu Cha and Oksusu suyeom cha together when making tea.

Cooking Time: 1 hr + time for drying              Difficulty: Easy                              Servings: 40 x 6 cups

How to make Roasted Corn Tea (옥수수차 Oksusu cha) and Corn Silk Tea (옥수수 수염차 Oksusu Suyeom Cha)

Ingredients

• Kernels and silk from 10 Corns (makes about 9 C of dried, roasted Oksusu cha)

1. Remove the husk and silk from corns. Break off kernels from each cob by hand. This is probably the most tedious task in making the tea… 1 average size corn makes about 1 C of corn kernels.
2. Dry the kernels and corn silk outside in the shade for 1-2 days (if weather is dry and warm). Or use a dehydrator and dry for the kernels for 5-6 hrs and the silk for 1-2 hrs until fully dried (almost rock hard when pressed).

   

3. Roast the kernels in a wok or frying pan. Don’t fill your pan more than 2/3. Divide the kernels into 2 batches if your pan is not big enough. Roast first on med-high heat until corn kernels start to brown and then lower to medium heat until fully roasted. Stir often to make sure corns are evenly roasted. Depending on the heat and the amount of corn in the wok, the time may differ.

   

4. You can roast on medium heat for 30-40 min, stirring often. OR you can roast on low heat for 1 hr or more, stirring LESS often. It’s your choice!! 🙂 Use the 2nd method if you have other things to do. I did mine while I was washing dishes and doing other things around the kitchen. When all kernels evenly become golden brown like below, you are done. You can roast longer for a more robust, almost burnt flavor. The more burnt flavor will taste more similar to teas sold at markets.

   

5. Store Oksusucha in a container in a cool dry place.

To make Corn Tea (옥수수차 Oksusu cha)

1. • 6 C of water
   • 1/4 C of roasted corn tea
   • 1 small bunch of dried corn silk
2. Add about 1/4 Cup corn tea and 1 small bunch of dried corn silk to 6 Cups of water.

   

3. Simmer for 20-25 min.

   

   Discard the corn and silk. Serve hot or cold with any Korean meal or simply as tea.

   

   Follow along on social for more Korean recipe inspiration!

   • Pinterest
   • Facebook
   • Instagram

   My Newsletter

   Print

   5 from 2 votes

   

   Roasted Corn and Silk Tea (Oksusu Cha)

   Oksusu Cha has a slightly sweet note with a great roast flavor. Serve hot on cold winter days to warm up the body and add ice to quench thirst in the summer. 
   

   Prep: 5 minutes minutes

   Cook: 1 hour hour

   Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

   serves: 40 (x 6 cups)

   Ingredients

   • ▢ 10 corn kernels and silk (makes about 9 cups / 2.16 L of dried, roasted Oksusu cha)

   To Make Corn Tea:

   • ▢ 6 cups water
   • ▢ 1/4 cup roasted corn tea
   • ▢ 1 small bunch of dried corn silk

   US Customary - Metric

   Instructions

   Prepare the Corn:

   • Remove the husk and silk from corns. Break off kernels from each cob by hand. This is probably the most tedious task in making the tea… 1 average size corn makes about 1 cup of corn kernels.
   • Dry the kernels and corn silk outside in the shade for 1-2 days (if weather is dry and warm). Or use a dehydrator and dry for the kernels for 5-6 hrs and the silk for 1-2 hrs until fully dried (almost rock hard when pressed).
   • Roast the kernels in a wok or frying pan. Don’t fill your pan more than 2/3. Divide the kernels into 2 batches if your pan is not big enough. Roast first on med-high heat until corn kernels start to brown and then lower to medium heat until fully roasted. Stir often to make sure corns are evenly roasted. Depending on the heat and the amount of corn in the wok, the time may differ.
   • You can roast on medium heat for 30-40 min, stirring often. OR you can roast on low heat for 1 hr or more, stirring LESS often. It’s your choice!
   • Use the second method if you have other things to do. When all kernels become evenly golden brown, you are done. You can roast longer for a more robust, almost burnt flavor. The more burnt flavor will taste more similar to teas sold at markets.
   • Store Oksusucha in a container in a cool, dry place.

   Make Corn Tea:

   • Add about 1/4 cup corn tea and 1 small bunch of dried corn silk to 6 cups of water.
   • Simmer for 20-25 min.
   • Discard the corn and silk. Serve hot or cold with any Korean meal or simply as tea.
   • Store oksusu cha in the refrigerator for up to a week. When it becomes cloudy, it is a sign that it’s about to spoil. 
     

   Nutrition Information:

   Calories: 0.1kcal| Sodium: 9mg| Calcium: 1mg

   Author: JinJoo Lee

   Course:Drinks

   Cuisine:Korean

   Keyword:cold or hot, soothing, sugarless, thirst quenching

   Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!

   Storage

   – Keep oksusu cha in the refrigerator up to a week. When it becomes cloudy, it is a sign that it’s about to spoil. Oksusu cha spoils much quicker than Bori cha (barley tea) so Koreans usually don’t make Oksusu cha in the summer.