Flecked with fresh green herbs, brimming with plump corn, and with a heavenly broth that is the most lovely tint of daffodil, this soup that makes for a satisfying and uplifting bowl of summer-kissed goodness. Completely plant based, sweet, savoury, and herbaceous, Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill could just be what sunshine tastes like.
Every late summer for the past few years I have developed a habit of buying dozens of cobs of the most outrageously sweet corn from an organic vendor at my local farmers market. The corn is so sweet and juicy it’s almost comical, the kind of corn that has you exclaiming wondrously as you eat it.
I usually find myself buying more cobs of corn than I planned for, just two more dozen ears this time, I tell myself. Instead of walking home with my bounty, my heavy bags overladen with corn and other market goodies have me calling my partner for an "emergency" pick up in the car.
Bad planning notwithstanding, this is one of the recipes I frequently make with my corn bonanza. I always get an encouraging “Yay, corn soup for dinner” when my partner and son know this soup is on the menu, and it is also one of my, admittedly numerous, favourite dishes to make with fresh corn.
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Ingredients
Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill is straightforward to put together, with a simple list of ingredients, bringing together corn, broth, fresh green herbs, ginger, garlic, green onions, zucchini, and orange bell pepper into a light, chowder-like soup. The combination of succulent corn kernels, tender vegetables, and fragrant herbs bathing in a sweet and savoury broth is truly just pure pleasure to eat; if you close your eyes you can even imagine that this is what sunshine tastes like to eat - at least that’s what I do!
Use fresh corn kernels if possible, although I have myself made this soup many times with frozen corn, so just use what is available to you. I like to use orange bell pepper, but yellow and red could do nicely instead, and substitute parsley for the cilantro if you are cilantro averse. If you find your corn isn't as sweet as you like, a pinch of coconut or organic cane sugar nudges up the sweetness level to your preference.
Ginger, alongside green dill and cilantro, while assertive flavours in their own right, are used in modest quantities here, melding together to enhance and uplift the corn-forward flavours of the soup with green, herbal freshness, without becoming overpowering.
A few ingredients transform into the liquid sunshine that is Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill. Please note, I forgot the zucchini when I made this batch!
Method
Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill doesn’t take long to prepare or cook; green onions and garlic are first sauteed in olive oil, followed by the chopped peppers and zucchini, spices, and corn kernels. Once the broth is added, a modest amount of cooking time follows. The final step, to achieve the satisfying yet still light consistency without the use of fillers or dairy, is to puree a few cups of the soup, adding it back into the soup, to add additional body to the broth.
Getting ahead
If you have the time, you can even produce extra stashes of corn kernels at the same time you are making this soup, to put away for future batches. As I have usually purchased more corn than I need for one batch of soup (ahem), I take the opportunity to unzip the kernels off any remaining cobs, freezing any excess using silicone pouches - perfect for making this soup again later on.
Use corn broth if you can!
If you are using fresh corn, the denuded cobs leftover after removing the kernels are perfect for making homemade Corn Broth to use in this recipe or to save for later. Once the corn kernels are cut off the cobs, I let the corn broth cook while I do something else around the kitchen, either freezing or refrigerating the kernels in the meantime. Then I can get on to finishing up the soup later on when it suits me, and if I have made an extra large batch of broth, I know I can successfully freeze the broth in glass jars for future use.
While it is certainly worth the effort to make Corn Broth for the extra depth of corn flavour that it provides, if you don’t have the time, you can easily use vegetable broth instead. Just be sure to use unsalted or lower salt vegetable broths or stocks - you can always add salt if needed, but I have found some recipes end up being overly salty when I have used pre-salted broth.
The Food Find
This Food Find in this recipe is not an ingredient but rather a handy little gadget called a corn zipper. Dare I say this kitchen tool is practically a must-have if you like to eat and use fresh corn kernels in your cooking. Similar to a vegetable peeler, but with the right spacing to grasp corn kernels and with a row of sharp micro teeth instead of a single blade to shear them off, the corn zipper efficiently strips the corn off the cob, complete with a soft unzipping-like noise! Unlike using a knife, the released kernels are cut from the cob at just the right depth, meaning no more chewy ends to the kernels, and no more awkward knife work. Find out more about the useful corn zipper.
Ways to Eat Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill
Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill makes for a satisfying lunch on its own, or centrepiece to a plant-based dinner. For dinner, I pair a big bowl of this soup with some warm bread on the side, and perhaps a bowl of tomatoes, sprouts and optional feta, paired with a light dressing, which makes for delicious, simple eating that feels nourishing, satisfying, and pleasurable.
Storage
Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill makes the most fantastic leftovers that you will thank yourself later for - that is if you have any remaining! This this soup keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and also freezes and reheats well.
More delicious corn recipes on Daraeats!
Corn Soup with Ginger and Dill
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil, such as safflower, sunflower or canola etc.
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and finely chopped
- 2 green onions finely sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper cut into ¼ inch dice (similar to the size of a corn kernel)
- 1 medium zucchini cut into ¼ inch dice (similar to the size of a corn kernel)
- 1 tbsp. finely grated ginger divided, 1 scant teaspoon reserved
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 6 cobs of corn cut down into kernels (approximately 6 cups of kernels, fresh or frozen)
- 5-6 cups vegetable or corn broth/stock any combination of corn broth and salt free or low salt vegetable broth, defrosted to room temperature if previously frozen.
- Coconut sugar to taste (optional)
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro about ¼ cup packed before chopping, or parsley if you are cilantro averse
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped dill about ¼ cup before chopping
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven or similar sized, heavy-bottomed soup pot, over a low/medium heat.
- Add the garlic and green onions and sauté for about two minutes, taking care that the garlic doesn’t brown. Stir frequently to avoid too much sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the diced orange bell pepper, 2 teaspoons of the grated ginger, paprika, and stir, sautéing for an additional 3 minutes. That last teaspoon of ginger that you reserved earlier will go into the soup later on.
- Add the corn kernels and stir them gently to combine. Continue to sauté until the corn is just starting to soften, or the kernels are mostly defrosted if using frozen, about two or three minutes.
- Add your stock and bring the pot to a vigorous simmer over medium-high heat.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes, giving the pot an occasional stir, until the corn kernels are tender enough for your liking. I like to leave the kernels a little on the ‘crisp’ side, but you can certainly cook them until they are as tender as you prefer, about 35 minutes.
- Take 2-3 cups of soup out of the pot and pour into a high speed blender or bullet blender. A word of caution: theoretically, you are not supposed to blend hot liquids, but I often do - just be extra careful when opening the lid to your blender - if you take the top off too quickly with a hot liquid inside, the liquid can splash up towards you. Taking the lid off quite slowly lessens the chance of this happening, and I guess I like to live on the edge because I do blend the soup while it is still hot.(If you prefer not to blend a hot liquid, turn off the stove, remove the 2-3 cups you are going to blend and let that sit until cool enough. Just bring your pot of soup back to a hot temperature on the stove before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.)
- Blend the small portion of soup, until as smooth as your blender can get it, and add back to the pot. Stir. If your corn wasn’t as sweet as you would like, add in a small amount of coconut sugar now to balance the sweetness of the soup, ½ teaspoon at a time until sweetened to your preference. If you find your soup is too brothy, you can turn up the heat for a few minutes to reduce the volume of broth a touch more.
- Add in the chopped herbs, and that final reserved teaspoon of ginger. Stir, taste for salt, and add more as needed.
- Serve hot, and enjoy!
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