Crab and sweet corn soup
2 corn-on-the-cobs
2 tablespoon cooking oil
3 spring onions, finely sliced (set aside the green parts)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, very finely chopped
1 cup cooked crab meat (fresh or tinned)
sea salt, to taste
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (optional)
600ml chicken stock
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoon water or coconut water
1 tablespoon Chinese sesame oil
1 egg plus a pinch of salt, beaten
1. Stand each cob on its end on a chopping board. Cut through the sides of the cob with a sharp knife large. Tip the corn kernels and any corn milk (the milky liquid which exudes from the cobs/kernels when you cut into them) into a bowl. Set aside, reserving the stripped cobs.
2. Heat the chicken stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the stripped corn cobs. Simmer for about 20 minutes. This imparts a lovely, sweet flavour to the stock. Discard the cobs and set the stock aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan (or wok) over a high heat. Quickly fry the white parts of the spring onion together with the chopped ginger for about 30 seconds.
4. Add crab meat. Sprinkle over the rice wine and stir.
5. Add the corn, stock and soy sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Combine the cornflour with the water and sesame oil. Stir until smooth. Add a few splashes of the hot soup and stir to ensure there are no lumps.
7. Tip the cornflour mixture back into soup, making sure that it has dissolved.
8. Pour the beaten egg into the soup, stirring with a fork (in a wide, whirling motion) to break up the strands as they form in the hot soup.
9. Adjust with seasoning. Add more soy sauce if necessary.
10. Sprinkle over the chopped spring onion greens. Serve immediately
Chilli lime compound butter
Perfect served with hot corn on the cob
100g butter, at room temp
2 garlic clove, very finely chopped
2 fresh chilli
Juice and zest of 2 lime
2 teaspoons of honey
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cream all the ingredients together. Season to taste.
2. In a plastic bag or clingfilm, place all butter inside and roll into a log
3. Refrigerate to harden.
4. When needed, slice off a few medallions.
Corn pakora dumplings
3 cups corn kernels, freshly grated or tinned
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 fresh green chilli, finely minced
1 knob ginger, finely minced
3 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
3 tablespoon pea besan (chickpea flour)
1 tablespoon rice flour
1 tablespoon corn maize flour
Sea salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
1. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame.
2. In a bowl, add the coarsely ground corn, finely minced onions, green chillies, ginger, fresh coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
3. Sprinkle besan, rice flour and corn flour over this mixture and mix well. Do not add water as the moisture from the corn will be enough to bind the mixture together. You should be able to shape small round balls out of the mixture.
4. Check if the oil is hot enough for deep frying by dropping a small piece of the corn mixture into the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, the oil is ready for deep frying.
5. Slowly place a few pakora into the hot oil and cook on medium flame. Do not crowd the vessel by adding more balls. Fry them till they reach a golden shade.
6. Drain them with a slotted ladle and place them on absorbent paper.
7. Serve them warm with chutney
Corn cakes
1 1/2 cups corn maize flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon mild chilli powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon honey
2 ears of fresh corn (or 2 cups tinned corn kernels)
2 large eggs, separated
1 large egg white
1. Whisk together the corn flour, baking powder, salt and chilli powder in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the butter with the milk and honey, until the butter is melted. Set aside until cooled. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the milk mixture, the 2 egg yolks, and the corn
3. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the 3 egg whites until stiff and they hold their shape, then fold them completely into the corn mixture.
4. Heat some butter in a skillet. When hot, spoon batter in mounds into the pan, spaced apart. Flatten them slightly if the batter is too rounded.
5. Let the corn cakes cook until browned on the bottom and starting to bubble around the edges. Flip the corn cakes with a spatula and cook on the other side for about a minute, until lightly browned on the reverse side.
6. Serve with fresh butter and chutney, or use as a base with your favourite toppings.