Sweet Corn Chicken Soup ( Home made method )

Ingredients:

Sweet Corn, cream style: 1 tin

Chicken stock: 1.25 litres (5 cups) OR water

Chicken :- 250 gms ( with bone washed and drained )

Spring onions :- 2 tbsps ( finely chopped )

Ginger :- 1/2 tsp ( finely minced )

Spring onion greens :- 4 tbsps ( finely chopped )

Cornflour :- 3 tsp (corn starch)

Soy sauce :- 1/2 tsp

Egg :- 1, beaten lightly

Sugar: 3/4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Sesame oil :- 1 tsp

White/Black pepper powder :- as required

Spring onion greens: 3-4 tbsps (finely chopped) for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add spring onion whites and ginger and saute for a minute. Add the shredded chicken and saute for a minute. Add cream style sweet corn and chicken stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and cook on low flame for a minute.

Add sugar and adjust salt to the simmering soup and cook further for 3-4 mts.

Mix the cornflour in 4 tbsps of water and keep aside.

Add the cornflour mixture and go on stirring till the soup thickens on low to medium flame. Slowly add the beaten egg and continuously stir in one direction only. Ensure that the flame is low and the egg will form into thin white threads in the soup. Keep stirring for few more seconds and turn off heat.

Pour into soup bowls, garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot. You can season with white pepper powder.

Tips

Prepare the chicken stock by boiling 1 1/2 lts of water, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1 cubed carrot, 1/2" ginger, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 1/4 kg chicken with bone. Place lid and allow the water to come to a rolling boil. Simmer for 15 mts and turn off flame. Strain the liquid and keep aside. De-bone the chicken and shred to small pieces.

If you want you can add vegetable stock instead of chcken stock. Vegetable stock can be prepared by boiling 6-7 cups of water, 1 large onion (quarter it), a carrot (slice it) and a potato (large cubes). Boil till water reduces to 5 1/2 cups. Turn off heat, strain the stock and discard vegetables.

Adjust corn flour according to the desired thickness of soup. More corn flour yields a thicker soup.

How to make Cream Style Corn:

Take 2 corn cobs, take a share knife and scrap the corn kernels. Melt a tbsp of butter in a vessel, add 3/4th of the corn kernels and saute for 2 mts. Blend the remaining corn kernels to a paste. Add this corn paste and a tbsp of sugar to the vessel and mix. Add 1/4 cup of water and 3 tbsps milk (optional ingredient) and cook for 7-8 mts. Mix a tbsp of flour in 3 tbsps water and mix. Add the corn flour mixture and go on stirring till it thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and freeze until use.