Corn Soup (玉米湯) Chinese Soul Food
Though I was only gone for 4 days, I’m glad I am back. Even paradise doesn’t compare to home. As much as I like trying new restaurants and not having to do dishes, I love getting in the kitchen and cooking. My go-to “I’m home!!” meal? SOUP. The ultimate comfort food that tells me I’m back where I belong.
Our plane touched down in the evening so a long-simmered pot of soup was not in the cards. I needed something quick, easy and yummy. I looked in the pantry and fridge to see what I could rustle up and what do you know, perched front and center on the shelf, a can of Del Monte Creamed Corn. A sign, obviously.
Does It Sound Corny?
What? I thought you were making soup Deb? I am, trust me. Chinese Style Corn Soup starts with a can of creamed corn. It’s the secret weapon to a quick and delicious soup. My kids love it, hands down one of their favorite soups. It’s sweet and savory, made with corn, seasoned ground pork, (you could use chicken or turkey) and egg. Best way to enjoy it? Ladle the soup over rice, stir to combine, and eat it piping hot with a big ole’ spoon-this is soul food, bowl food.
I learned how to make corn soup from my mom and if you have read my blog, you know my Mom did not cook much. It was my Dad’s domain, but she makes a mean corn soup. If you peruse the menu of any legit (lol) Chinese restaurant, you will find Corn Soup. THAT’S HOW YUMMY IT IS.
Max Flavor, Min Effort
My mom started with just a pot of water. I cheat and start with chicken stock, homemade or a commercially available low salt chicken stock, this adds another level of cheating, I mean flavor. Quick soups generally start with minced or thin strips of pork, chicken or beef. This extracts the maximum amount of flavor in a minimum amount of time. The meat is marinated for a couple of minutes in soy sauce, rice wine, salt, and sugar then sautéed briefly before adding the water or stock. Cook over medium heat to keep the soup at a nice rolling boil (not crazy boil) for 15-20 minutes. Add the creamed corn, cook for another few minutes and voila’ ALMOST DONE (gotcha).
The last step, whisk a barely beaten egg into the soup. This adds flavor and body to the soup. It’s very similar to egg drop soup. It’s important to remember never boil the soup after adding the egg. You want the eggs to have wispy strand look. I actually turn the heat off when whisking in the egg. Whisk the soup continuously so the egg doesn’t sit and clump or curdle. NO BUENO.
If you like a thicker soup consider adding cornstarch to both the soup and the eggs before adding it to the soup. A trick from Serious Eats-For tender shards of egg, blend 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into the eggs before adding them to the soup. I am old school, I just add the barely beaten egg to the soup, the yolk thickens it and the whites turn into wispy tendrils in the soup-just like my mom’s.
Soul Food: Chinese Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 14.5 ounce can of creamed style corn Del Monte is my go-to
- 1/2 cup ground pork or thinly sliced pork
Marinade for Pork
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1-1/2 tsp rice wine
- dash of white pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt and sugar
To finish the Soup
- 3-4 cups water or low sodium chicken broth or half and half water & broth
- 1-2 eggs
- 1 green onion sliced on the diagonal
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients with pork in a small bowl, set aside, let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat 1 T oil in a 3-4 quart saucepan. When oil is hot, add ginger and cook for 1 minute to flavor the oil.
- Add pork to pot and sauté until it is no longer pink.
- Add water and/or stock and bring to a boil, immediately lower heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Add creamed corn. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- As the soup simmers, break eggs into a small bowl. Lightly beat, no need for the eggs to be completely blended.
- Turn heat off or set to very low and add eggs to soup in a steady stream, all the while stirring the soup with a fork or chopsticks in one direction. If the flame is too high the egg will curdle!
- Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions.
Options:
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ - ½ cup corn kernels ( I use frozen) add with canned creamed corn
- Substitute ground chicken or turkey for pork
For a thicker soup:
- Mix ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water or stock. Add this slurry to the soup, heat until soup thickens. Turn heat down and add egg. I find if you use 2 eggs in this soup this will create enough body in the soup such that cornstarch is not necessary.