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An image of two hands holding a small bowl of Corn and Miso soup against a light background.
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Corn and Miso Soup

Celebrating the annual pleasure that is fresh from the farm peak season corn, Corn and Miso Soup is a soul satisfying affair, a deeply flavoured and silken puree that revels in the profound sweetness of summer corn, accentuated by the complimentary flavours of ginger, green onion, and mild white miso.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon neutral vegetable oil such as sunflower, safflower, or canola
  • 2 spring onions finely sliced, a tablespoon or so reserved for garnish
  • 3 teaspoon fresh ginger micropaned or finely grated, with more to taste as needed
  • 4 cups corn kernels approximately 4-6 corn cobs depending on the size of your corn, fresh or frozen as needed
  • 4 cups unsalted corn broth or unsalted mild vegetable stock
  • 1 piece dried kombu optional
  • 3 tablespoon mild white shiro miso
  • cane sugar or coconut sugar to taste, see notes
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Set your Instant Pot onto the low sauté setting, make sure your stainless steel inner bowl is in place, and add the oil; or if using the stovetop, use a heavy bottomed large pot, such as a dutch oven.
  • Once heated, add the sliced spring onions to the pot and saute about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the finely grated ginger and saute for another minute, stirring frequently to prevent sticking or burning, although some ginger will likely stick a bit.
  • Add the corn kernels and saute for a minute or two, making sure you scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot with your spoon.
  • Add in the corn broth or vegetable stock, the optional piece of kombu, and turn the saute mode off. Secure the Instant Pot lid and set your instant pot on high pressure for 10 minutes, or if using the stovetop, cook for 30 minutes on medium high, stirring occasionally.
  • Important note: Once your Instant Pot has completed its cooking time, DO NOT release the pressure manually (as this will put you at risk of releasing boiling hot liquid out of the pressure release valve). Let the pressure release naturally on its own, making sure the locking pin has released and no more pressure remains inside the pot, before you unlock the lid.
  • Remove and discard the kombu - do not put it into the blender. Ladle the contents of your pot into a high speed blender, and add the miso paste. Blend until quite smooth - timing will vary depending on your blender. Once smooth, blend again for at least another 30 seconds until as aerated and smooth as possible.
  • 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, let the soup sit until cool enough to blend and reheat before serving.
  • Taste, and if needed, add an additional half teaspoon up to a full teaspoon of grated ginger if you want to amp up the ginger taste, or additional small amounts of sugar as needed if your corn is not sweet, blending again to fully puree and incorporate these additions. Your soup will likely not need any salt, but add a pinch of salt to taste if needed.
  • If your soup is not very hot, or has been made in advance, you can reheat it gently on the stove until warmed just before serving, but do not let the soup come to a boil.
  • Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle a few reserved sliced green onions on top. Enjoy!

Notes

If you are making your own Corn Broth or using store bought vegetable stock, make sure to use either option in an unsalted version, as the miso used in this soup is somewhat salty and purchased salted stocks are usually quite oversalted in my opinion.
If you have used frozen corn or fresh corn that isn’t very sweet, add a small amount of sugar to help increase the sweetness; start with 1 teaspoon and add as needed, blending again until smooth after each addition.