CANTONESE CHICKEN & CORN SOUP

by SM - February 10, 2021

When I started living in Malaysia, I was overwhelmed by the variety of Noodles found in the market. Fresh ones, dried ones, Noodles made with Wheat, Rice, Mung Beans, Buck Wheat etc., & etc., I still spend some extra time while shopping for Noodles in the super market, pondering through the counters. I was awestruck when I saw people drying up Rice Noodles like how they dry up clothes in Vannarapettai (Laundry Land - hope my translation is good enough!!!😕). Likewise, my preconceptions about Chinese food & Chinese Cuisine went topsy-turvy with the initial scepticism for the food then slightly into, can bear with mode and then gradually... I'm loving it... mode. Now, I would say that's one best way of cooking technique, which retains the texture & nutrition of the ingredients and the mild seasonings is all that I love about Chinese cooking. Still to find what exactly it may taste it China.

All my life, I thought, Fried Rice(a twist of Vegetable Pulao), Maggi Noodles, Chow Mein, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, Chicken Manchurian & American Chop Suey(though with the name American) these food were Chayanese... I mean Chinese!. All seem to be some Indo-Chinese fusion cooking to appease the Indian Palate. Well, no complaints whatsoever... I love those recipes in their own way and cook the same with loads of sauces and with an Indian touch.

Well, this recipe Cantonese Chicken & Corn Soup was one recipe which I tried from a cook Book - Soups, my hubby got fancied & bought, while I was pondering the book shop. Least I head towards the cooking book section. I can spend a whole day in the shop & my hubby is like when can I get ejected out of this place... But he keeps his patience when I shop for books which is the only place I take a long time to shop. When it comes to shopping, especially for clothing, jewellery, bags or sandals, even nail polishes, it is always like, my hubby chooses for me. He loves doing it & so no shopping time required for me.

Have tried most of the Soups from the book which had numerous Soups from around the world. Starting from the ones which fancied me, I tried this Sweet Corn & Chicken Soup first and it was nothing like the one we usually order at restaurants back in India. In this recipe, we simmer shredded Chicken and Corn in a tasty broth made with traditional Chinese ingredients including ginger, spring onions, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. This soup has a delicate golden colour and velvety smooth texture and is substantial enough to be eaten as a light meal.

Homemade/Store bought Ingredients

And again, we can get easy with this soup by using canned creamed corn, which gets convenient when you want to whip up a quick meal with minimal preparation time. You can make this Soup in two ways. If you want to whip up the soup quickly, just head over to the grocery shop for a can of cream corn & a can of Chicken Stock. Alternatively, get your fresh Sweet Corn and prepare it from Scratch. Both ways the Soup taste fantastic.

Though making it from scratch is a bit time consuming and if you can plan ahead then the job gets much easier. If you want to use home-made Chicken Stock like how I have used it in this recipe then make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Shred the Chicken & Marinate

Chicken and corn soup is best to make with Chicken breast meat. Some recipes suggest to mince the chicken meat, but I find that shredded Chicken pieces give a better texture & aesthetics to the soup. Whether you like to use minced meat or cut it into cubes or shred it, is your personal preference. And I prefer to marinate the Chicken, as we are using breast meat, it can get tough & tasteless once cooked.

Marinating helps to tenderize the meat and also helps the flavours get infused into it. So, I suggest marinating the Chicken breasts with Soy Sauce, White Pepper, Salt & Sugar & leave it aside for about 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. The chicken meat will taste better if you marinate it for a longer period.

For a detailed recipe on HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN STOCK, Click here...

Cuisine - Cantonese
Recipe Type - Soup
Spicy Level - Low
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 3- 4
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 10 - 15 Minutes
Cooking Time - 20 -30 Minutes

For more SOUP RECIPES, Click here...

HOW TO COOK CANTONESE CHICKEN & CORN SOUP

CANTONESE CHICKEN & CORN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

To Marinate the Chicken:

Chicken Pieces(boneless) - 250 Gms

Soy Sauce - 1 1/2 Tspn

White Pepper Powder - 1/2 Tspn

Salt - To Taste

Sugar - a Pinch

To Cook Chicken & Sweet Corn:

Marinated Chicken Pieces(boneless) - 250 Gms
Sweet Corn - 1 Cob
Water - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste

For Chicken & Corn Soup:

Sesame Oil - 1 Tbspn
Garlic - 1 Clove
Ginger - a small Piece
Homemade Chicken Stock - 2 Cups
Pepper Powder - 1 Tspn
Soy Sauce - 1 Tspn
Salt - To Taste

To Thicken the Soup:

Corn Flour - 1 Tbspn
Cold Water - 2 Tbspns

For Garnishing:

Spring Onions - few

METHOD:

To Marinate the Chicken:

Clean, wash and cut chicken pieces into thin strips.
Marinate the Chicken Pieces with Soy Sauce, White Pepper, Salt & Sugar and leave it aside for about 4-6 Hours/overnight.

To Cook Chicken & Sweet Corn:

Place the Corn Cob on a Cutting board upright and gently slice through the Corn Kernels with a sharp knife.
Collect the Kernels and the Cob.
Place the Chicken Pieces, Corn Kernels and the Cob along with a dash of salt in a Saucepan or a Pressure Cooker.
Pour in enough water & Cook until the Chicken Pieces & the Kernels turn soft & tender.
Remove the Cob and discard it.
Once the chicken pieces are cooked, shred it up into small pieces.
Remove half the amount of cooked Kernels from the Saucepan and allow it to cool.
Once cooled, blend the corn kernels into a coarse paste and keep it aside.

For Chicken & Corn Soup:

Meanwhile, heat Sesame oil in a Pan & Saute finely chopped Garlic cloves and Ginger pieces on a very low flame.
Pour in the homemade Chicken Stock and allow it to boil.
Add the shredded Chicken Pieces, cooked Corn Kernels along with a dash of Salt & Pepper and give a quick stir.
Pour in a dash of Soy Sauce & give a quick stir.
Pour in the blended Corn Paste/Creamed Corn(from the can) to the above and mix well
Adjust the consistency of the Soup by adding Water.
Cook this on a low flame for about 5-10 minutes.
Mix Corn flour along with 2 Tbspns of Cold Water. Make sure there are no lumps.
Lower the flame & slowly pour in the Corn Flour mixture to the Chicken & Corn Soup.
While pouring the Corn Flour Mixture make sure to reduce the heat and stir the soup continuously.
Cook on a very low flame for few minutes or until you get the desired consistency.
Garnish the Cantonese Chicken & Corn Soup with finely chopped Spring Onions.
Serve hot.

CANTONESE CHICKEN & CORN SOUP

NOTES:

Increase the amount of Sweet Corn & Chicken Pieces if you prefer a strong flavour of the ingredients in the Soup.
Cooking and shredding the Chicken Pieces initially helps to get soft texture chicken pieces in the Soup.
Adding it directly into the soup can make it cling to each other and you may find it difficult to break it up and shred.
Once the cooked Chicken Pieces are added into the Soup base make sure to cook it on a low flame.
Vigorous boiling can toughen the chicken meat.
If you want to have a very smooth soup, do not cut the corn too close to the cob and blend the corn for at least 2 minutes.
I have used Sesame Oil in this recipe, can substitute it with any other Vegetable Oil of your choice.
Adjust the amount of Salt and Pepper depending on your personal preference.
Store-bought Chicken Stock may have added Salt & Seasoning in it. Adjust accordingly.
Adjust the consistency of the Soup to suit your preference.
While adding the Corn Flour mixture to the soup make sure the flame is at low and stir the soup continuously for a silky even texture.

Tags : AROUND THE WORLD, CHICKEN, CHINESE CUISINE, INDO-CHINESE RECIPES, PARTY MENU, SOUPS