Asian corn soup

So Sunday while we were in the Italian Market I noticed that the spice place down there had lemongrass stalks on sale. I have never actually even seen lemongrass stalks anywhere, but I am sure it is just because I didnt really know what it looks like (a lot like palm actually. Like Palm Sunday palms). So I bought some. Because that is totally what you do when you find an ingredient you have no idea how to use right? You just buy it? That's right, I impulse bought lemongrass. I decided that the only thing that I know you can do with lemongrass fairly easily is soup. So I looked through my giant folio o' recipes and found this one. Combines Matty's favorite vegetable (it seems): corn and my lemongrass. Along with fresh ginger (which I also bought because it was on sale even though we had some in the freezer [good tip, keep leftover ginger in the freezer, makes it easy to slice or grate and keeps forever!]), lime and jalapeno. Sounded perfect to me. And I was pretty impressed. Lemongrass is not terribly difficult to use, especially in this way. The soup was incredibly easy (though I am completely unable to get corn off a cob without making a total mess) and made the apartment smell great. We had this with Trader Joe's pork gyoza on the side (Matty pan-fried them and then double pan-fried them with a little TJs Gyoza dipping sauce mixed with chicken broth - Delicious!). We thought the soup could have used a little something. I think it would be an excellent poaching liquid for chicken (or tofu). Maybe rice? I am not sure. The flavors is very delicate (which is good) but I would also increase the amount of ginger (maybe grate some of it) and garlic (again, maybe grate some) and cilantro (maybe coarsely chop it). The prominent flavors were corn, lemongrass and lime. Also, be sure to get all the silk off the corn! I scooped the solids out instead of straining and it worked fine (make sure you get all the lemongrass pieces). I also might decrease the liquid a bit to intensify the flavors. A good vegan recipe as well, as long as you stick with veggie broth (we had chicken so I used that). So overall: a good recipe but could definitely be played with.

Asian Corn Soup


If you can't find fresh lemongrass, substitute strips of rind from one-half to one whole lemon. Serve as a side dish with stir-fried tofu and rice. (We served as a main dish with a side of gyoza) Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups) (As a main course we got 3 servings from this) Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007 (That is their pic there)

4 ears corn
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups water (next time I would use 3)
2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic) (we used chicken because we had it in the fridge)
12 sprigs cilantro (I might coarsely chop or use some as a garnish)
5 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger (I might grate some of it or use more)
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and quartered (I used 1 huge one)
1 to 2 fresh lemongrass stalks, including bulb end, smashed and coarsely chopped (I used 1 stalk that I halved lengthwise and then chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces)
1 garlic clove, crushed (I used 2 and would use more or grate some)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Thinly sliced lime (optional) (very nice at the end)
Thinly sliced jalapeño pepper (optional) (adds a really nice finish as well)

Cut corn kernels from ears of corn; set aside. Reserve cobs.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Cut each cob into 3 pieces. Add cobs, 4 cups water, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Strain broth through a colander into a bowl; discard solids. Add corn kernels, juice, and salt to broth; stir to blend. Return soup to pan; simmer 5 minutes or until hot. Garnish with lime and jalapeño slices, if desired.

CALORIES 97 (18% from fat); FAT 1.9g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.8g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20g; SODIUM 300mg; PROTEIN 3.1g; FIBER 2.6g (As a reminder, this info is from Cooking Light and pertains to the recipe as it is presented, not how I doctor it)