Lunch · Dinner · Chinese

Chicken & sweetcorn soup

Name: Chicken & sweetcorn soup
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 cubes Chicken stock cube, in 1.2 litres water; 15g Fresh ginger; 300g Chicken breast fillets; 2 tins Sweetcorn, drained; 4 Spring onions; 2 Eggs; 2 tbsp Cornflour; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil

The starter everyone orders, made by the potful and a good deal less gloopy.

Start to finish: 50 min
Hands-on: 31 min
In the fridge: 3 days
Freezes: Yes

Contains gluten, eggs, sesame, soya, celery

Ingredients

4 portions

2 cubesChicken stock cube, in 1.2 litres water
15gFresh ginger
300gChicken breast fillets
2 tinsSweetcorn, drained
4Spring onions
2Eggs
2 tbspCornflour
1 tbspSoy sauce
1 tspToasted sesame oil

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Crumble the stock cubes into 1.2 litres of boiling water in a large pan. Peel the ginger, cut it into a few thick slices and add it with the whole chicken breasts. Bring back to a gentle simmer, cover and poach for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
22 min, mostly hands-off
2
Meanwhile, blitz one tin of the drained sweetcorn with 150ml water until thick and creamy. Thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the green tops separate. Beat the eggs in a jug.
3
Lift the chicken onto a board and shred it with two forks. Fish out the ginger and throw it away.
4
Add the blitzed corn, the whole corn, the white spring onion and the chicken to the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5
Mix the cornflour with 4 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Stir it into the soup and simmer for 2 minutes, until it thickens and turns glossy.
6
Turn the heat right down. Stir the soup slowly in one direction and pour in the egg in a thin stream, so it sets into soft ribbons. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil, and season with pepper.
7
Leave to cool, then ladle into tubs and scatter over the spring onion tops.

On the day

Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring halfway, until piping hot. It thickens in the fridge, so stir in a splash of water first. A few drops of soy at the table suit it well.

Cook’s tip

Once the egg is in, leave the soup alone for a few seconds before you stir again. That is how you get long, silky strands instead of scrambled crumbs.