You ask any person from India and they will tell you that Indo Chinese cuisine is a thing. It is unique and every desi feels very nostalgic about Indo Chinese. This soup is inspired by those memories and this is easy to make a chicken or vegetarian version. Just need to have good homemade stock and spend time cutting your vegetables fine which I find very therapeutic.
Ingredients
100 grams green cabbage (an eighth of a cabbage) very finely chopped
100 grams celery (2-3 stalks) finely diced
150 grams (1 large) carrot finely diced
150 grams (1 large) onion finely chopped
1 x 400 grams tin of creamed corn
1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade
4 cloves garlic chopped
5 centimetre piece of ginger chopped
½ teaspoon white pepper freshly ground
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of corn flour mixed in a little water
400 grams chicken breasts poached and cut into small pieces (optional for the chicken version)
Salt to taste
Light soy sauce and chilli sauce to serve
METHOD
Using a mortar and pestle, pound together the ginger and garlic to make a paste. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry the ginger and garlic paste. When the ginger, garlic smell is evident, add the onions and cabbage. Fry for a few minutes. Add the powdered white pepper, carrots and celery. Fry for three minutes. Add the creamed corn, stock, salt and 400mls water. Stir well and bring it to the boil. Remove lid and allow to gently simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chicken pieces if using and cook for a further three minutes. Finally add the corn flour, mix it in and turn off the heat.
Cover with a lid and rest for ten minutes before serving. Use soy sauce and chilli sauce for seasoning the soup. You can also use gochujang paste or chillies in vinegar as a condiment for the soup.
CHILLI SAUCE
8-10 red chillies chopped
4-5 garlic chopped
5 centimetre piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
30ml rice wine vinegar
Salt to taste
METHOD
Place all ingredients in the smallest bowl of a food processor and grind to a fine paste. Use with soup or to flavour fried rice.