Sweet Corn and Vegetable Chicken Soup

It’s a cold, wet miserable winter day in the Adelaide Hills. Nothing for it but to make chicken soup or to be truthful Vegetable Soup with fried chicken added after I took  The Vegetarians share out.  I had a craving for sweet corn soup with lots of vegetables. Cooks perogative decreed that is what I made.

 

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

Olive oil

500 grams chicken mince (optional)

1 small onion

2 sticks celery

2 small carrots

1 10 cm piece of broccoli stalk

1 5 cm piece of cauliflower stalk

1 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)

¼ cup finely chopped parsley stalks

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander stalks

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 litre of cold water

2 x 410 grams can of creamed corn

1 410 can of corn kernals

1 large clove of garlic (about 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon vegetable or chicken stock powder

1 tablespoon chopped basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons parsley leaf

2 tablespoons coriander leaf

2 tablespoons green spring onions

Method

1.      Chop the vegetables into 1 cm pieces.

2.      Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until golden (if you are using the mince). Remove the mince and leave as much of the oil in the pot as possible.

3.      Add the onions and fry until golden then add the chicken, the rest of the vegetables, garam masala, parsley and coriander stalks, ginger and garlic. Reduce the heat.

4.      With the lid on, sweat until the vegetables are soft. Stir regularly.

5.      Add the water, stock powder, basil, lemon juice and soy sauce. Gently bring it back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper. Simmer for another ten minutes.

6.      If the soup is still a bit chunky mash roughly with a potato masher.

7.      Finely chop the parsley, coriander and green part of the spring onion and stir through the soup just before serving.

8.      If serving to someone with a cold I think toast soldiers are the rule otherwise accompaniments are up to the cook.

9.      Dumplings are nice with any soup. Mix ¾ cup of self raising flour, 1 tablespoon oil, pinch of salt and ½ cup of milk. Drop teaspoonful pieces into the simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.