Thai Sweet Corn Soup

Nothing beats corn on the cob. The fresher and sweeter, the better – with butter, salt and pepper. It’s summer personified, and it was the late, great Edna Staebler (whose namesake public school opened its doors for the first time last week) who sang its praises best in the Vegetable chapter of her classic book Food That Really Schmecks.

“You don’t know how delicious corn can be until you taste it fresh off the stalk,” she wrote. “I phone the farmer’s wife down the lake to pick me some corn, put a big kettle of water on the stove, paddle down the lake in my canoe to get the corn, husk it, and pop it into the boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Then I eat it, 8 or 10 cobs of Golden Bantam slathered with butter; and that’s all I want for supper, thank you.”

I’m inclined to agree. When it’s in season, like anything, the temptation is to eat it in droves. The other night we had friends in for homemade pizza – with corn on the side. Not exactly a fitting accompaniment, but I’d just picked up a half-dozen pieces and it seemed disgraceful not to cook and enjoy it immediately.

Leafing through a favourite cookbook recently, I came across a recipe for Thai Sweet Corn soup. “Fresh sweet corn on the cob is the heart and soul of this recipe,” read the intro. “Summer is your only opportunity to make this soup, so don’t miss out.” I needed no further convincing.

I hit up the New City Supermarket on King Street in downtown Kitchener for some of the essential Thai ingredients – and came away with them for less than $10.

If you’ve never been to New City, do swing by. There’s all sorts of interesting produce and aisle upon aisle of all manner of cans, bottles and jars. Out of season, it’s an excellent source for fresh herbs – big, shrinkwrapped trays go for less than two bucks and are a far cry from the little packaged wisps you find at most grocery stores – you’ll be looking for new recipes to use up what’s leftover.

With the cooler nights upon us, this soup makes a great supper (8 to 10 cobs of corn, though, is a tempting alternative).Don’t be tempted to leave out any of the ingredients – they all add essential flavour. And for the love of Pete, don’t use frozen corn.

This comes from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook, a collection of recipes from a well-loved vegetarian café in Victoria, B.C. It’s an essential cookbook for veggies and non-veggies alike.

Thai Sweet Corn Soup

Corn-Lemongrass Stock
8 ears fresh corn
8 cups water
2 lemongrass stalks
6 kaffir lime leaves, fresh or frozen
1 yellow onioin
1 garlic bulb
1 tsp salt

Soup
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup minced shallots
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed and minced
4 tbsp minced ginger
6 kaffir lime leaves
2 tstp salt
1- 400 mL can light coconut milk
2 tsp sambal oelek
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil
1 lime, cut into wedges

1. To prepare stock remove corn kernels from uncooked cobs and reserve (you will need about 4 cups). Roughly chop the onion, lemongrass and garlic. Place cobs and stock ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Strain and keep warm.

2. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat; add onion and sauté until translucent. Add shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves and 1 tsp salt. Gently sauté until golden and softened, adding a bit of stock to prevent sticking if necessary.

3. Add the reserved corn kernels, remaining salt and enough stock to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the corn is tender. Remove the lime leaves. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup (returning it to the pot, if necessary). Add the coconut milk, sambal and enough stock to make it the consistency of your liking. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped basil and a squeeze of lime.
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