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Coconut Corn Soup

As the winner of Top Chef: All Stars, Melissa King knows how to make seasonal ingredients shine. “I love making dishes with sweet summer corn—from coconut corn soup to a simple roasted corn salad,” she shares. “I grew up in LA so have had my share of Mexican street-style corn,” she adds, which gets a nod here in the form of the optional grilled corn she uses as a garnish. She also likes to top the soup with puffed wild rice (see note below), which adds a crisp textural contrast to the velvety soup.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 115 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

For the soup:

  • 4 large or 6 medium ears of yellow or white corn, shucked
  • 2 yellow onions, 1 quartered and 1 thinly sliced
  • 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece unpeeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
  • 3 quarts (3 l) plus 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) water
  • 1 Tbs. coconut oil or canola oil
  • 1 tsp. grated or minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 can (13 1/2 fl. oz./415 ml) full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 Tbs. fresh lime or lemon juice

For garnish (optional):

  • Sichuan chile oil
  • Puffed wild rice
  • Grilled corn kernels
  • Handful of chopped fresh cilantro
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Cut the kernels off the ears of corn. Using a sharp knife, scrape the corncobs over a bowl to extract the juices. Reserve the cobs and set the kernels and juices aside.

In a large pot over high heat, combine the corncobs, quartered onion, sliced ginger and the 3 quarts (3 l) water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for about 1 hour to extract all of the sweetness and flavor from the cobs. Strain the corn stock into a large bowl, discarding the solids. You should have about 2 quarts (2 l) stock. If you have less, add enough water to equal 2 quarts. Set the stock aside.

Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil, then the sliced onion, grated ginger, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute, then add the 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) water. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft but not browned and most of the water has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. If needed, uncover the pot and cook for a few minutes more until the water evaporates.

Add the reserved corn kernels and their juices to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the corn stock, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, for 30 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Transfer about 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) of the liquid to a bowl or measuring pitcher. Set aside.

Working in batches, transfer the remaining corn mixture and liquid to a blender (don’t fill it more than halfway for each batch) and blend on high speed until smooth. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean medium pot, pressing down on any solids to extract all of the soup. Stir in the lime juice. If the soup resembles a thick puree, stir in some of the reserved liquid until the soup pours off a spoon like heavy cream. Season to taste with salt.

Serve the soup hot or cold topped with Sichuan chile oil, puffed wild rice, grilled corn kernels and/or cilantro, if desired. A little freshly ground pepper is nice, too. Serves 6.

NOTE: To make puffed wild rice, heat a small fry pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) wild rice. The rice grains will soon begin to gently pop and slightly expand. Cook, tossing frequently to avoid scorching, until the popping slows, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa King