Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Creamed Corn Soup with Meatballs


I am not much of a soup person and I can live quiet happily without soups. I know that most Chinese families have a soup with every meal but that was not the case with my family. My grandma may have cooked soup but I vaguely remember that. With my mum it is always a salad with every meal. Soup was pretty much alien to us.


It was my auntie who pretty much introduced me to soups. She has a soup on the dining table at dinner time and her soups are really delicious. In particular her beef soup with tendon, beef balls and tripe. That one was super yummy. She gave me the recipe before but heh..heh...I have forgotten. Ee-Ee, I will email you and request for the recipe **wink** **wink**.


When I was thinking of easy dinners for my weekdays, I resorted to soups because it is so convenient. I have either chicken or pork ribs soup. All I have to do is cook a big pot on Sunday, enough to last me from Monday to Thursday. It may seem boring eating the same thing for four days straight but I am OK with that. I'm not fussy when it comes to food. So when I come home from work, all  I need to do is put the soup on the stove and throw in my vegetables (all ready washed and cut on Sunday).  And I have myself a complete meal - a hassle free proteins and vegetable meal. 


This creamed corn soup is a little bit more elaborate than what I usually cook. Since this month's theme on Little Thumbs Up is corn, I decided to cook me a creamed corn soup. My auntie once cooked a very delicious soup which she thickened with potato starch, something pretty much like shark fin soup. So I thought why not do something like that using creamed style corn and meatballs.


I miss my grandma's meatball soup (Bakwan Th'ng) which I used to enjoy when I was small. One of the ingredients she put into the soup is wood ear fungus (bok nee) and I used to fish those out to eat with the meatballs. For this soup I used the bigger variety of wood ear fungus. I figured that it would add a nice crunch to the soup.


This soup would be a combination of my auntie's soup and grandma's meatball soup. I have used my grandma's meatball recipe and I remember grandma minced the pork using a cleaver. It was quiet a tedious process and I am so lucky to be able to buy minced pork from Aeon (Jusco).


So how did my soup turn out? I don't mean to blow my own trumpet, but I will have to say that it was pretty good. It was a delicious soup, flavorful and packed with chunky vegetables and yummy meatballs. The creamed corn added so much goodness and sweetness to the soup. It is great as an accompaniment to your meals or a wholesome complete meal by itself.









Creamed Corn Soup with Meatballs
Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :

For the meatballs :
- 380g minced pork or chicken
- 1 big onion, finely minced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons light soya sos
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- a good dash of pepper

For the soup :
- 1 medium sized carrot, cut into small cubes
- 1 piece wood ear fungus, soaked and cut into strips
- 1 can cream corn (425g)
- 1 big onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 600ml water
- 1 cube chicken stock
- some spring onions for garnishing

To thicken the soup :
- In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons of potato starch with some water to form a runny paste.
- Set aside until ready to use.

Method :

For the meatballs :
1. Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
2. Set aside in the fridge to firm up while you work on the soup.

For the soup :
1. Heat oil in a pot.
2. Saute onions until translucent.
3. Add garlic and saute for a short while.
4. Add carrots and wood ear fungus and stir to mix.
5. Add water and bring to a boil.
6. When the soup is boiling, make your meatballs and drop them gently into the soup.
7. Let the soup simmer until meatballs are cooked.
8. Add creamed corn and bring to a boil.
9. To thicken the soup, pour the potato starch mixture a little at a time, stir the soup until you get the consistency that you like.
10. Serve immediately and garnish with spring onions.






This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Esther of Copycake Kitchen.

68 comments:

  1. Hi Phong Hong
    My daily meal especially dinner, soup is a must for me; i like all types of soups be it herbal, vegetables, thick soup or the watery type. Oooo....i never had make soup with cream can corn. Look really good to me, i can see meatballs, woodear....

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    1. Mel, I am now appreciating soups a lot more. I realise that they can be very delicious and filling.

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  2. hi sis,,
    this soup is so tempting,,n i jus bought one canned
    of cream,,n this is real a goodies for my kids,,
    (for sure will make our belly bigger haha)
    thanks---natasha,,--singapore

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    1. Hi Natasha! Hope you and the kids enjoy the creamed corn soup. Oh no, won't make your belly bigger, soup is not that fattening :)

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  3. I grew up drinking soup and cooking soup so much when my kids were younger, so much so, now I avoid cooking it now! Except those in canned soup if you can call that cooking:P Your version looks delicious, and can be eaten as a complete meal! Lovely!

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    1. Jeannie, soups are so convenient. Of course canned soup lagi convenient :) But I avoid those as I find them too salty.

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  4. Lovely soup...i like corn...ur soup looks so creamy n yummy

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    1. Thanks, GK! Hope you try this soup since you like corn.

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  5. I love meatballs in soup...and your photos are making me very hungry!!!

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    1. Lizzy, you can't go wrong with meatballs. They are rather popular and I especially love them in soups!

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  6. Hi Phong Hong,
    Your soup looks very delicious! I could have this just for my lunch!

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    1. Hi Joyce! This soup is very filling and so satisfying. You should see my face after I finished the two bowls hah! hah!

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  7. Give me five, Phong Hong, I also made a corn soup to support Esther but a very different recipe, share later. Let me enjoy sipping your soup first, gagaga!

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    1. Jessie, I can't wait for your soup. Sure very yummy and we can exchange!

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  8. Hi Phong Hong, this is my all time favorite corn soup, yummyyy!!!!! But normally I use the whole kernel corn :)
    I will try your version of cream corn next time. Your corn soup looks delicious especially with the Ah Mah's meatball :)
    Thank your for your support on LTU! ^_^

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    Replies
    1. Hi Esther, your corn theme is making me think and try all things corn! It is good for me to experiment with ingredients that I don't normally cook with.

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  9. I love soup and this sounds very flavorful and tempting..Loved the addition of meat balls...

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    1. Priya, I think I will cook this soup again because I enjoyed it so much :)

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  10. Hi Phong Hong....

    The soup sound delicious especially because I love corn! I thought of skipping lunch, but now the tummy is starting to 'play music'. Hish... no manners betullah my tummy ni! Hahahaha....

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    1. MamaFaMi - when your tummy play music you must eat! Don't skip lunch lah, cook corn soup. Your tummy will be very happy :)

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  11. wah sungguh menarik.Tak pernah masak sup seperti ni.Ada jagung dan cendawan.Besok Cm cuba ya :)

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    1. CM mesti cuba sebab sup ni best! PH makan sampai 2 mangkuk :)

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  12. Agree that soups are so convenient. This cream corn soup is so delicious! Easy and healthy.

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    Replies
    1. Mich, soups are so versatile too. Can put in any of our favourite ingredients and it turns out yummy!

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  13. Replies
    1. Vimitha, it was a very satisfying soup. Won't get tired of it.

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  14. Hello PH, fully agree with you. This is good soup which I must cook soon, cos' I like all the ingredients in this soup, lol...Looks so yummy.

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    1. Kimmy, it is a very hearty soup with lots of ingredients. Can make it into a complete meal as it is very filling.

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  15. the soup full of ingredients, yum!

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    Replies
    1. Jess, there are lots of yummy treasures in the soup :)

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  16. I try to cook soup for every dinner but the usual Chinese type of soup , lotus soup lar, etc . I have never cook cream corn soup before , must try one day..

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    1. Sonia, nowadays I enjoy the Chinese soups. Lotus roots is one of my favourites. I should cook it more often.

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  17. Hi Phong Hong, I was thinking of making a similar soup to this. It's quite popular in Western countries in those Chinese restaurants.

    I think your mum is quite Westernised hor.. I dont think I ate salad at all when I was growing up (except coleslaw from KFC) :P

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    1. Yen, my Mum learnt how to eat salad when when she was overseas. She loved it so mush that we get to eat it while growing up.

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  18. I'm sure all the kids at home love this creamy corn soup. Looks very yummy!

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    1. Ann, this soup is very kid friendly!

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  19. Wow PH! You are fast for this month's Little Thumbs Up! I'm still thinking what to cook using corn.... Quite busy lately :(

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    1. Alvin, I started early :) Corn is something I hardly cook with and Esther's theme is quite a challenge for me. I am sure you can find lots of things to do with corn. How about popcorn? Your kids will sure love that!

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  20. Hi Phong Hong wow!wow! 2 bowls of yummy soup 1 for me and the other for you.Your soup looks so delicious.I have not tried with mah-mah's bak wan.Sometimes I will put in mince pork which I will use a knife to chop it taste better then using mince pork.You put so many yummy things in your soup.Must try.It's nice to have soup daily for dinner and sometimes I also have it for lunch .Sure I will give you the recipe have not cook that for a while .Mah-mah's bak wan soup is the best I still can't cook like her's.

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    1. Ee-Ee, one day I must try to cook the proper bak wan thng that Mah-Mah cooked. Then can eat with kayciap. So yummy!

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  21. You know, I don't remember the last time I made soup. But this looks fantastic! I would love to make this!

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    1. Cathleen, it is time to get acquainted with soups. They are rather good!

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  22. I can have this on its own.... slurp!

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    1. Cheah, it is good on it's own and very filling too!

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  23. hi PH...baru jumpa yur blog..puas cari tau!!..hihi...i love soup..but i'll eat the meat n veggie...left d gravy to my doter....!ngee!

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    1. Hi Kak Nik Ja! Tak suka soup ya? Heh! Heh! Takpe lah, just makan isi dia aje :)

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  24. Okay, I'll admit - when I saw "creamed corn" my body hitched and repulsed a bit. Just not a fan of gloppy sweet corn. But your soup looks ab-sol-freakin'-lutely delicious! Soup is one of the main things I look for when I go to a Chinese restaurant (my personal favorite will and always be Winter Melon Soup), I love all the deep broths and mix of flavors.

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    1. Toby, that bad eh? Don't worry, the creamed corn in this soup is not gloppy at all. It is pretty good. Just don't thicken it too much with the potato starch or else the whole soup will be gloppy mess :)

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  25. Yummy! I love creamed corn soup too. But because most corn in the U.S. is GMO, I hardly buy corn anymore unless it is organic.

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    1. Yeah, I hear GMO is a big issue in USA. Organic is best but can be pricey :(

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  26. There are so many healthy ingredients in this bowl of soup! Great!

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    1. Hanushi, there's lots of yummy treasure in the soup :)

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  27. WOw! I'm making this ASAP! I LOVE corn soup but not my family. It doesn't matter as I'm really drooling over this post! LOL Looks so inviting! ;)

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    1. Kit, I guess you will have to make a small portion just for yourself. You can make this soup minus the corn for your family. It will taste just as good.

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  28. That looks good. Once we had cream corn with minced meat and egg soup at a restaurant (instead of sharks' fins) - very nice....until somebody said it looked like baby food. LOL!!!

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  29. Phong Hong,
    Corn is my boys favourite.
    Oh!!! This soup is so good!
    Still have left over? Can I have a bowl? : p
    mui

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    1. mui mui, next time I reserve a big, big bowl for you :)

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  30. wah,my big thumbs up!
    i like corn and eggs in soup very much!
    what a healthy and delicious recipe!!! ^v^

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    1. My friend, you are back! This is a yummy soup and I know you will love it!

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  31. i cook soup every week..but mostly chinese kind of simmering soups. I do cook corn soup but that's also chinese style..not this creamy type ...but this soup of yours simply looking delicious ..and colourful too!

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    1. Lena, I like the clear soups as well. This type once in a while ok because it can be quite heavy.

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  32. Hi Phong Hong, I'm a soup person, must have everyday. LOL
    Your this creamy soup look really good and inviting. Good for lunch no need eat rice cos it's quite filling.

    Best regards.

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    1. Amelia, I hardly have soup but once in a while when I do cook it, I enjoy is so much. I am sure you will love this creamed corn soup :)

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  33. Hi Phong Hong,

    Although we like soups, strangely we don't eat soup everyday... However, for my corn-loving son, I reckon he will be happy if I cook this for him everyday... Having said that, I'm feeling guilty now and would like to cook this creamed corn soup for him on this weekend :D

    Zoe

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    1. Zoe, I am sure your son will love the creamed corn soup! Do try the soup, you and hubby may love it too :)

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