Spicy Corn and Coconut Soup

Name: Spicy Corn and Coconut Soup
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 5 ears yellow or bicolor corn (or 5 cups frozen corn kernels); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 shallots, thinly sliced into rings; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced; 1 serrano chile (or other chile), minced; 2 small red potatoes (6 to 8 ounces total), cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or 2 1/2 cups of hot water whisked with 1 1/2 teaspoons jarred bouillon); 1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk; 1 tablespoon lime juice (from 1/2 lime); Kosher salt, to season; Torn cilantro leaves, toasted coconut flakes, chopped roasted peanuts, crispy fried shallots, lime wedges and more sliced Serrano chiles, to serve (optional)

By Sarah Jampel

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(4,898)
Comments: Read comments

A good corn soup is creamy and naturally sweet; an even better corn soup is spicy, refreshing and addictive. In this recipe, it’s the combination of shallots, garlic, ginger, chiles and coconut milk, rather than heavy cream or butter, that makes the soup at once cooling and rich. It’s a dinner in a bowl (and a vegan one at that), but it would surely welcome a side of steamed rice or salad of leafy greens. To serve, add garnishes that are any combination of spicy (extra fresh chile or store-bought chile oil), crunchy (toasted coconut, chopped peanuts or cashews, fried shallots) or fresh (torn cilantro, chopped scallions), and it’ll be even more dynamic.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

5ears yellow or bicolor corn (or 5 cups frozen corn kernels)
2tablespoons olive oil
2shallots, thinly sliced into rings
3garlic cloves, minced
1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
1serrano chile (or other chile), minced
2small red potatoes (6 to 8 ounces total), cut into ½-inch cubes
2½cups vegetable broth (or 2½ cups of hot water whisked with 1½ teaspoons jarred bouillon)
1(15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1tablespoon lime juice (from ½ lime)
Kosher salt, to season
Torn cilantro leaves, toasted coconut flakes, chopped roasted peanuts, crispy fried shallots, lime wedges and more sliced Serrano chiles, to serve (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and transfer to a bowl. Using the back of a butter knife, scrape the cobs so that all of the milky juices collect in the bowl and the cobs look completely dry, like wrung-out sponges. Set aside. (If using frozen kernels, skip this step.)
Step 2
In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add shallots, garlic, ginger and chile, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Add corn kernels and juices to the pot, and sauté until the corn is softer and brighter, about 3 minutes more.
Step 3
Add potato pieces, and stir to coat, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4
Now, pour in the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through.
Step 5
Use an immersion blender to roughly purée the soup, so that it’s creamy with some kernels of corn, chunks of potato, and chile flecks remaining. (Alternatively, ladle about half of the soup into a blender, blend until smooth, and return to the pot.) Season with lime juice and salt, and mix to combine. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with toppings of your choice.

Ratings

5 out of 5

4,898 user ratings

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Comments

Justician6 years ago

Pet peeve: using garlic cloves and inches of ginger as measurements. Both of these aromatics vary widely in size. Instead, please give either weight in grams for those of us with kitchen scales, and/or an approximate volume measurement. How hard is it to say 2 tsp. minced garlic or 1 tbsp minced ginger? I have the same problem with asking for 1 hot pepper. They vary in size. If you agree, please vote this comment up. Thank you.

Jane Wilstern5 years ago

Pet Peeve reader- as garlic and ginger are seasonings the exact measurements aren't essential, inches perhaps leaves it open to the cook to experiment or season to your own taste. Be wild and experiment !

Debbie Weinstein6 years ago

I put the corn cobs into the soup while it was cooking to give it a more corny flavor. Fished them out before I pureed the soup.

Elizabeth Jennings1 week ago

Delicious! Mine was super sweet so i definitely added salt, extra lime, and a dollop of chili crisp to serve and that gave it a hint of smokiness that turned out really nice.

Annette1 week ago

Didn’t see this mentioned in the top reviews, but with corn as the main ingredient this soup comes out very sweet. It’s also impossible to achieve the described texture of whole potato pieces and corn kernels with an immersion blender - it’s all or nothing with that style, so stopping partway yielded an oddly granular soup. Peanuts were the best topping because they stay crunchy when wet. Added shrimp for protein which worked well. It’s just really bland, like something you’d suck through a straw in hospice. Overall, not mad about the soup but I would not make it again.

karlyn1 week ago

Doubled the recipe and added fish/chicken Here’s what I did to double it and it was perfect—not too coconutty, but just right. Like squeeze at the end is a must! (3) bags of frozen corn, one fire roasted 25oz of coconut milk 48oz chicken broth Salt and pepper to taste Mixed shallots and small onion Two inches of ginger (up it a little bit next time) (3) small Japanese sweet potatoes No serranos in the soup (I have little kids) Simmered for 15m until potatoes were soft Immersion blender Added chicken and Mahi on top with cilantro, Serrano, and lime squeeze DELICIOUS! Easy to blend even finer for my 7 month old! Cannot wait to make it again.

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