Cantonese Creamed Corn Soup
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The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving) | |
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146 | Calories |
3g | Fat |
19g | Carbs |
11g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 146 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 3g | 4% |
Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |
Cholesterol 26mg | 9% |
Sodium 615mg | 27% |
Total Carbohydrate 19g | 7% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 2% |
Total Sugars 5g | |
Protein 11g | |
Vitamin C 4mg | 18% |
Calcium 28mg | 2% |
Iron 1mg | 4% |
Potassium 355mg | 8% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Traditionally, this Cantonese recipe for a corn soup relies on a Chinese cooking technique called velveting, in which pieces of meat (chicken or seafood) are coated with egg whites and some form of starch—like corn starch, potato starch, or wheat flour—before being fried. By doing so, the chicken or seafood remains juicy and tender, as the outer coating traps the moisture inside of the cubed protein. The seafood used in the original recipe of this soup is chopped into small pieces and dredged in egg whites and cornstarch. But our recipe uses a shortcut, and it's a lot simpler.
Instead of dredging the seafood in egg whites and starch, and cooking it afterward, the cornstarch and water mixture is used as a thickener. The egg whites are then streamed into the hot broth before serving, just like in an egg drop soup; the pretty white strings of egg floating around give the soup its texture.
This delicious corn and crabmeat soup, flavored with green onions and sesame oil, is a quick and filling dish that can be on your table in less than 35 minutes. Use crabmeat if it's easier to find, or replace it with cooked ham for a different flavor profile. We used homemade chicken stock, but store-bought chicken broth is fine, as long as it's low sodium and, ideally, organic.
Ingredients
For Thickening:
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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2 tablespoons water
For the Soup:
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5 cups chicken stock (or store-bought chicken broth)
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1 1/4 cups canned creamed corn
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1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
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1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black, or to taste)
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1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
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2 teaspoons rice wine (or dry sherry)
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3/4 cup crabmeat (cooked, or cooked diced ham)
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2 large egg whites (lightly beaten)
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1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (or to taste)
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2 green onions (or spring onions, finely chopped)
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Mix the cornstarch with water, stir well, and reserve.
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In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the creamed corn and bring back to a boil, or about 3 minutes.
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Add in the salt, white pepper, sugar, rice wine, and crabmeat. Cook for about 2 minutes to bring the mixture back to a boil again.
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Give the cornstarch and water mixture a quick re-stir and then pour into the boiling soup, stirring to thicken. When the soup has thickened, around 5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat.
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Pour the egg whites into the soup in a steady stream and quickly stir in a clockwise direction until the egg whites form thin shreds.
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Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or white pepper if needed. Add the sesame oil and the green onions for garnish, if using.
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Vegetarian and Vegan Creamed Corn
For a vegetarian version of this dish you need to make a few simple swaps:
- Use vegetable stock or broth instead of chicken stock.
- Replace the crab meat with 6 ounces of pressed extra firm cubed tofu, or use 6 egg whites instead of 2 to add extra texture and volume to the soup.
- Add 1/2 cup of canned or frozen sweet corn kernels.
For a vegan version follow the same instructions as for the vegetarian version, but:
- Skip the creamed corn, as it has dairy, and use 16 ounces of corn kernels altogether, fresh or frozen.
- Do use tofu, but up the amount to 10 ounces, so the soup has more consistency and texture.
- Skip the egg whites.
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