Chilled Corn Porridge

I don’t like cold soups, so you can trust me when I say this one is good. I spotted this recipe flipping through a Japanese food magazine and quickly skimmed the ingredients. They were accessible and simple so I went all in, totally overlooking the recipe’s title. It’s a good thing because I don’t think I would’ve made it otherwise. Soups are inherently soul-warming and a cold soup has never felt right.

But it’s summer. The days are hot and the corn is sweet, so there’s nothing more refreshing and satisfying than this bowl of porridge. The ingredients are cooked and cooled, not like a gazpacho where everything is raw. The onion and celery to lay its foundation and, along with the curry powder, it’s what makes this soup savory underneath the sweetness of the corn and tomato. Once everything is cooled to room temperature, you add milk and let it chill in the refrigerator. The shelf life is short, so I would recommend eating it in 1 or 2 days.

You probably already know this, but when selecting corn, choose one that looks heavy and big for it’s size. Peel back a section of the husk and look at the kernels. Make sure they’re plump, shiny, and packed tight. Don’t store them for a long time because they begin to lose their sweetness once they’re harvested.

The recipe called for a chicken bouillon cube, but after listening to this Spilled Milk podcast, I’ve stopped buying canned (or boxed) chicken broth and started using Better Than Bouillon. It’s convenient, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and has good flavor.

Chilled Corn Porridge
Adapted from きょうの料理7 2008年
Makes 4 servings

1 yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 ears corn, kernels scraped from cob (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 tomato, diced
1 to 3 tsp curry powder, according to your taste
1 tsp better than bouillon chicken base
1/2 cup water
400ml milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper
parsley, chopped for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and corn. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 mins. Add the curry powder and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 mins.

Add the chicken base, water, salt, and pepper and cook over low heat for 20 mins.

Remove from heat and, with an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup. Once cooled to room temperature, stir in the milk. Pass the soup through a sieve and chill in the refrigerator.

Once chilled, ladle into bowls, top with parsley, and serve.