How to prepare ‘award-winning’ corn soups

Corn soups have been a long time favourite amongst food lovers. The creamy texture and the sweet corn kernels together make for a mouth-watering appetizer.

With these corn soup recipes, you can make each bowl of corn soup you serve taste like a bowl of a different culture!

Thai Chunky Corn Chowder Recipe (serves 10)

What you need:

• Diced bacon, ½ pound
• Butter, 4 tablespoon
• Large diced onions, 2
• Seeded and diced red pepper, 1
• Ground thyme leaves, 2 teaspoon
• Ground roasted cumin, 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric, a pinch (optional)
• Skinned and cubed potatoes, 2 pounds
• Chicken stock, 6 cups
• Cornstarch, 6 tablespoons
• Water
• Cream, 2 cups (optional)
• Corn kernels, ½ pound
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

What You Do:

• Fry the diced bacon till it becomes crispy. Drain the fat that is released from the bacon and set aside.
• To a stockpot, add butter and heat till it melts. To the pot, add onions and red pepper. Stir till they are tender.
• Add chicken stock and the spices. Add potatoes and cook till it becomes tender. When the potatoes are cooked completely, add the cornstarch dissolved in cold water.
• Keep stirring as you add the corn starch. The soup will become thicker.
• Lower the heat and add milk or cream and keep stirring. Let the liquid simmer for about fifteen minutes and then bring to a boil.
• Add the corn kernels, ground pepper and salt.

Roasted Corn Soup Recipe – Award Winning!(serves 6)

What you need: 

• Chicken stock, 2 cups
• Cloves of garlic, 3
• Corns, 6 ears
• Peeled and diced potato, ½
• Cornmeal, 1 tablespoon
• Cream/ milk, ½ cup
• Ground pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Sugar, 1 pinch (optional)

What you do

• Bake the corn and cloves of garlic in an oven that has been preheated to 450 F. Leave for about twenty-five minutes
• Once cool, dehusk the corn and remove the kernels from the cobs
• Cut four of the cobs crosswise and set aside.
• Heat a saucepan and add some butter. When the butter melts, add the chicken stock, diced potatoes, corn cobs and water. Cook covered for about twenty minutes on low heat.
• Take out the corn cobs and discard them.
• Using a slotted spoon, take out the cooked potatoes and put them in a grinder. Add the corn kernels and the cloves of garlic. Add the cornmeal and grind.
• Sieve this puree to leave the skins of the corn behind. Then add to the steaming broth.
• Cook for five – ten minutes, stir in the cream or the milk and take off the heat.
• Add the seasonings and serve. You may add a pinch of sugar to the soup before serving it. The sugar adds a special flavor to the soup.

Easy Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup (serves 6)

What you need: 

• 6cups chicken stock
• 1 large chicken breast fillet(boneless)
• 300g canned corn kernels
• 300g canned creamed corn
• 1 tablespoon cornflour(cornstarch)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 2 spring onions (finely sliced) or 2 scallions (finely sliced) or 2green onions (finely sliced)

What you do: 

• ring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan(depending on your taste or needs you may wish to substitute some of the stock for water).
• Add chicken breast fillet to the stock, turn the heat off and cover the pain with a lid for 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken breast from the stock and leave to cool for a few minutes then shred.
• Add corn to stock and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
• Combine soy sauce and cornflour into a paste then stir into the soup to thicken slightly.
• Add shredded chicken to soup.
• Slowly pour beaten eggs into the soup in a steady stream, stirring constantly with a fork.
• Serve topped with the sliced spring onions and enjoy!
• NB: Cooking time includes the 15 minutes for “poaching” the chicken breast.

This article was first published on AfricaParent.com