Hearty & Creamy Chinese Soup - Fish, Tofu, Coriander & Century Eggs

I am not normally excited about Chinese soups but this one had me going gaga! (Sorry, I spent too much time trying to buy tickets to Lady Gaga's concert this morning. All sold out. I didn't get one. I'll have to scream & dance to the fancam videos on youtube later)

It's so creamy from the fish, hearty from all the chunks of velvety smooth century eggs and tofu, and the coriander made the whole thing so refreshing. I adore! I asked SC's mom for the recipe and it goes pretty much like this...

Pan fry your favorite fish. Add some rice wine, add water, bring to boil. Add tofu cubes and century eggs pieces. Season with salt and white pepper, add (lots of) coriander only at the last minute to keep them green.

Slurpsss.

Roasted Corn, Chicken and Coriander Soup

Summer's too hot for soups?
Hmpfh. I don't think so.
But I do prefer clear soup instead of the rich and creamy ones for summer.
This one started with a minimalist quick chicken broth, to which I added roasted corn, coriander and some citrus juice at the last minute.

Recipe
- 1 chicken, broken down to quarters, excess fat removed
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 3 cloves of shallot, thinly sliced
- a big bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
- 4 ears of corn (or you can used canned corn kernels)
- 1 lemon
- cooking oil, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg, water (or chicken stock if you want it more intense)

In a stock pot, saute chicken, garlic and shallot in a bit of oil and butter until fragrant. Add hot water (or chicken stock), bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes to make the chicken stock soup base. While the chicken soup is simmering, slather corn with some butter and grill until golden brown. Remove corn kernels, season with salt and pepper, then set aside. Check on the chicken soup base, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and nutmeg. Turn off heat, add chopped coriander, squeeze some lemon juice, add roasted corn kernels and serve. You can add a bit of fresh chopped chillies if you want more heat.

I love mine with buttered toasts or sandwiches and a big glass of iced tea.