Unlike the Western-style corn soup, Corn Surinagashi does not use milk or cream. The flavour comes from the corn itself and dashi stock. It can be served chilled, cool, at room temperature, or hot.
This is a vegetarian dish. See the video.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 2 sweet corn cobs (husk and silk removed, note 1)
- 500ml / 1.1pt konbu dashi (note 2)
- ¼ tsp salt (note 3)
- Finely chopped parsley (note 4)
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Remove the corn kernels from the corn cobs (note 5). You will need about 1⅔ cups of sweet corn kernels.
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Put the corn kernels, cobs, and konbu dashi into a pot. Bring to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to medium low to gently bubble. Cook for 8-10 minutes, then turn the heat off. While the corn is cooking, foamy scum may rise to the surface - remove as much of it as possible.
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Let the soup cool slightly, then remove and discard the cobs.
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Using a stick blender, purée the corn in the pot until the soup becomes smooth. Alternatively, use a stand blender, in batches if required (note 6).
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Strain the soup through a fine sieve. Use a spatula to press as much of the corn purée through the sieve as possible. Discard any hard corn bits and skins left in the sieve (note 7).
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Add salt and taste. Add a little more salt, if required.
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Chill the soup in the fridge (note 8) and serve in a bowl with garnish in the middle if using (note 9).
1. I bought a pack of sweet corn at the supermarket, which came with the top and bottom trimmed. 2 corn on the cob weighed about 450g / 1lb.
You can use frozen corn kernels or canned corn kernels if you can’t get fresh corn. The flavour of the corn cannot beat the freshly made Corn Surinagashi, but it still comes out good.
2. I used granular konbu dashi powder, but you can of course make konbu dashi from scratch (refer to Varieties of Dashi Stock). If you are not vegetarian, you can also use normal dashi stock from bonito flakes, but I think that the soup tastes cleaner when you use konbu dashi.
If you are using canned corn kernels, reduce dashi stock to 300ml as you don’t need to cook the corn kernels.
3. The granular konbu dashi powder that I used contained salt, so I only needed ¼ tsp salt to season the soup. If you are making konbu dashi from kelp, you may need slightly more salt.
4. A small sprig of curly parsley or thinly sliced blanched okra pieces can also work as you can see in the photo of canape and startar in the post.
5. Refer to “How to cut corn off the cob” in RecipeTin Eats Corn Fritter recipe which shows the way to remove kernels without scattering everywhere.
6. If you are using a stand blender, let it cool down to at least lukewarm temperature, otherwise the soup might explode.
7. The consistency of the soup is similar to, or slightly thinner than, corn cream soup. It will depend how much liquid evaporates while cooking the corn in step 3.
If the soup is too thick for your liking, add a little water or dashi. If it is too thin, you can heat the soup gently to reduce and thicken it.
8. You can serve it chilled, cool, at room temperature, or hot. It is quite versatile.
9. You can also serve it in a shot glass as a canapé or in a small bowl/cup as a starter.
10. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 375g calories: 131kcal fat: 1g (2%) saturated fat: 0.1g (1%) trans fat: 0g polyunsaturated fat: 0g monounsaturated fat: 0g cholesterol: 0mg (0%) sodium: 469mg (19%) carbohydrates: 31g (9%) dietary fibre: 4g (16%) sugar: 5.0g protein: 4.3g vitamin a: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 21mg (1%) iron: 0.9mg (5%) potassium: 714 mg (20%)