Chinese Chicken & Sweet Corn Soup

This is my mum's soup that she makes in winter. I have made a few changes to the base ingredients but essentially it's not too different to her original recipe. Make this for a cold evening and make a big batch because one bowl is never enough...I promise.


INGREDIENTS
For the stock base

• 4 x chicken frames halved
• 4 x celery sticks roughly chopped
• 1 x large bunch spring onions roughly chopped
• 1 x medium brown onion peeled and quartered
• 1 x tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 x 1 inch piece of ginger sliced
• 1 x tbsp powdered chicken stock
• 3L water
• salt to taste

For the soup

• 2 x 400g tins creamed corn
• 2 x eggs at room temperature
• cracked pepper to garnish
• spring onions to garnish

METHOD

1. In a large stock pot place all the stock ingredients except salt. Make sure chicken is fully submersed in the liquid.
2. Bring to the boil then simmer covered for 90 minutes. Skim off any impurities that come to the surface.
3. Remove chicken frames from stock and reserve allowing to cool.
4. When chicken is cool enough to handle, pick clean white meat away from bones and keep aside. Discard frames once picked.
5. Using a potato masher gently press the softened vegetables in the stock. You do not need a puree, this is just to release some extra flavour.
6. Pass the stock through a sieve and into a stock pot.
7. Add salt to your taste. This does not have to be a very salty soup as it finishes up with a little sweetness.
8. Bring the stock to the boil then add the reserved cooked chicken meat.
9. Add the 2 tins of creamed corn and stir well to combine. Bring back to the boil.
10. Whilst the soup is boiling crack the eggs one at a time stirring them in a gentle circular motion to create ribbons as the egg cooks in the heat of the soup.
11. Serve immediately with freshly cracked pepper and spring onions to garnish.

EXTRA TIPS

Chicken frames are usually available in the deli section of the supermarket otherwise your poultry butcher would definitely have them and they are dirt cheap. You may choose to leave out the powdered chicken stock since it is essentially a stock that you are making. I just feel that the powdered stock adds a bit more to the flavour of the overall soup without tasting like 2 minute noodles. Spice this soup up by adding a splash of your favourite chilli sauce before garnishing. Leftover soup can be frozen for up to a month.

" A Jewish woman had two chickens. One got sick, so the woman made chicken soup out of the other one to help the sick one get well."
Henny Youngman