food comas

I received this super simple recipe from my friend Susie (who had also introduced me to Shrimp Scampi pasta).  Whenever I was at her house and we wanted something quick, she would whip up this delicious corn soup.  I had never actually known this soup was considered “Chinese” as I had never tried it in a Chinese restaurant before, but apparently it does have Chinese origins.  I had always just referred to this dish as “Corn Soup,” but now I call it “Chinese Corn Soup” just to sound more cultured (and well… because that is what it actually is called).

This soup is incredibly easy to prepare; at the bare minimum, all you really need is cream-style corn, chicken broth, and eggs.  All the other stuff is just extra flourish.  Susie always added a can of whole kernel corn to make it extra corn-y, and I continue that tradition today.  I recently started putting mushrooms in it, which I think contributes some great flavor to the soup.  I have seen some recipes call for some kind of meat, such as ham, ground pork, or chicken.  I have never made it with meat (due to sheer laziness), but I can imagine it would be quite good.

Chinese Corn Soup

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 5oz can Whole Kernel Corn
• 1 15oz can Cream Style Corn
• 1 15oz can Chicken Broth
• 2 eggs
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Few drops of sesame oil (optional)
• 4 small mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:

In a medium-sized pot, combine the cans of whole kernel corn, cream-style corn, chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Optionally, add a few mushroom slices for more flavor.

Crack the eggs into the pot and stir quickly, breaking up the yolk while the eggs cook in the boiling soup.   I do this because I like to keep the yolk and egg white flavors separate, and well… it makes it more colorful too.  However, you can beat the eggs in a separate bowl instead and then stir the beaten eggs slowly into the soup to ensure you don’t have weird cooked egg clumps.

Reduce heat and let the soup simmer.  Add a dash of salt, pepper, and a few drops of sesame oil to taste.  Optional: Garnish with green onion (which I didn’t have at the time, so just imagine how pretty it looks with some bright green color!)

Enjoy!