Sweet corn is so divinely juicy and tender at the moment so I had no choice to make Sweet Corn Soup. I have a lovely Indian recipe but decided to make an Indo-Chinese style soup. There is one in Vol 4. of Meenakshi Ammal’s Cook and See books, but the ingredient proportions have errors, I believe.

Instead, I made my similar version but included diced vegetables that are a quintessential part of this soup. Of course there is nothing really Chinese about this particular version of sweet corn soup – it is an Indian adaptation of a dish to make it appropriate for local palates. I remember being taken by my Indian friend to a Chinese restaurant in Goa in the early 2000’s, and the waiter was astonished that I didn’t want chilli sauce with everything! We should not grin too broadly – Australia travelled the same route when beginning to experience Chinese food in the 1960’s and ’70s. Remember Chop Suey and Chikko Rolls?

Enjoy this soup. I have added some chilli options for accompaniments, should you so desire.

Similar dishes include Most Heavenly Sweetcorn Soup, Caldo, Indo-Chinese Baby Sweet Corn and Green Bean Soup, South Indian Baby Corn Soup, and South Indian Green Peas Soup.

Browse all of our Indo Chinese recipes and all of our Indian soups. All of our Indian recipes are here, and our Indian Essentials are here. Or explore our Mid Summer recipes.

Indo Chinese Sweet Corn Soup

ingredients

1.75 cups sweet corn kernels, steamed

0.25 cups fresh sweet corn kernels

5 cups water or light vegetable stock

1 tspn ginger-garlic paste

0.5 cup diced vegetables such as green beans, capsicum, carrot, peas and spring onions

0.5 tspn sugar

2.5 Tblspn cornflour

sea salt and white pepper

to garnish (optional)

a few fresh corn kernels

slices of spring onion green tops

coriander leaves

green chilli slices

soy sauce

accompaniments (optional)

small bowls of chilli vinegar, sweet chilli sauce or chilli sauce, and/or red or black Chinese vinegar.

method

Puree the steamed sweet corn kernels in a blender to a smooth paste. Add to the water or stock with garlic-ginger paste in a saucepan. Bring to just under a simmer and add the retained corn and diced vegetables. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

Add the sugar and season with sea salt and pepper.

Make a paste of the cornflour with water, and stir into the hot soup. Stir continuously while the soup thickens.

Serve the soup garnished with sliced spring onions and/or coriander leaves and a drizzle of soy sauce. Accompany with small bowls of chilli vinegar, sweet chilli sauce or chilli sauce, and/or red or black Chinese vinegar.

recipe notes and alternatives

Cans of creamed corn can be used – use 1 cup of creamed corn in place of the steamed kernels.