Corn and Crab Soup
This version of a Cantonese home-style favorite maintains the spirit of the original, but replaces the typical blandness with a clean, fresh flavor. We use fresh corn kernels and milk, in lieu of the more commonly used canned creamed corn. We also prefer crabmeat to chicken, which seems more Southeast Asian in spirit.
Ingredients
Chili Purée
- 4 ounces fresh red finger chiles, chopped
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
Soup
- 5 cups Chinese Chicken Stock (page 78)
- 1½ cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 1 pound corn on the cob)
- 2 teaspoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 2 large egg whites beaten with 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 ounces crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
Chili Purée
- To make the purée: Put the chiles in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons water, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until the chiles are soft.
- Transfer the chiles to a blender. Add the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and purée until smooth. Set aside.
Soup
- To make the soup: Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot and add the corn kernels. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, wine, soy sauce, cornstarch mixture, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture back to a boil.
- While the soup is boiling, add the egg white mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.
- Add the crabmeat, lime juice, and chili purée. Stir well, then transfer the soup to four serving bowls. Garnish with the scallions and cilantro and serve immediately.