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 ½ tsp turmeric 480 ml / 2 cups soy milk* ½ stock cube 20 ml / 1½ 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 / 1½ tbsp vegetable oil 45 ml / 3 tbsp lime juice 30 ml / 2 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar salt
Instructions:
Cut the kernels off the cobs (keep the cobs). If using defrosted or canned kernels, blot them dry on paper towels before using. Heat up a heavy pan (cast iron pan is best). Once the pan is hot add 2 tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add half of the kernels, stir-fry them until cooked and lightly charred. Empty the pan and follow the same steps with the other half. Chop aromatics – shallots, garlic, peeled ginger, chilli (deseed if you don’t like heat) and inner soft part of lemongrass (keep the rest). You could also pop roughly chopped aromatics and a couple of tablespoons of oil into a small food processor and blitz them into a paste. Pre-heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot, add chopped aromatics and fry on low heat until fragrant and translucent, stirring frequently. If you made a paste, simply preheat the pan and add the paste to it, there is no need for more oil. Season with a generous amount of salt, add dry spices, stock cube, saved cobs and lemongrass discards. Top with 1 litre / 4 cups of water, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. If serving straight away, cook the noodles while you wait – undercook them by a minute or so. Discard cobs and lemongrass sticks. Transfer the rest to a blender, add charred corn and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pot.
