Corn Soup with Noodles and Tempeh
Ingredients
Soup
- 3 corns on the cob or 400 g / 3 cups of corn kernels*
- 60 ml / 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 3 small shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 20 g / 0.75 oz ginger
- 1 mild red chilli
- 2 lemongrass sticks
- 2-3 tsp mild curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 480 ml / 2 cups soy milk*
- 1/2 stock cube
- 20 ml / 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (if GF)
- lime juice, to taste
- 85 g / 3 oz dry noodles, per person
Garnishes
- a handful of coriander / cilantro
- chilli oil, to garnish
- 1-2 spring onions / scallions
Glazed tempeh
- 200 g / 7 oz tempeh
- 20 ml / 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 45 ml / 3 tbsp lime juice
- 30 ml / 2 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
- salt
Preparation
Cut the kernels off the cobs and keep the cobs. If using defrosted or canned kernels, blot them dry on paper towels before using.
Heat up a heavy pan and add 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir-fry half of the kernels until cooked and lightly charred, then empty the pan and repeat with the other half.
Chop the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and the inner soft part of the lemongrass. Alternatively, blend the roughly chopped aromatics with a couple of tablespoons of oil into a paste.
Preheat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot and fry the chopped aromatics or paste until fragrant and translucent, stirring frequently.
Season with a generous amount of salt, add curry powder, turmeric, stock cube, saved corn cobs and lemongrass discards. Add 1 litre of water, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. If serving straight away, cook the noodles in a separate pot and undercook them by a minute.
Discard the corn cobs and lemongrass sticks. Transfer the mixture to a blender, add the charred corn kernels and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot.
Add the soy milk to the soup and heat gently without boiling.
Season the soup with soy sauce and lime juice to taste.
For the glazed tempeh, heat 1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the tempeh until golden brown on all sides.
Mix lime juice, maple syrup and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, pour over the tempeh and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and glazes the tempeh.
Serve the soup in bowls, add the cooked noodles, top with glazed tempeh and garnish with coriander, chilli oil and sliced spring onions.
