Ken Hom

Corn and Crab Soup

• 1 lb corn on the cob, or 10 oz canned or frozen corn
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 5 cups good quality ready-made chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, blended with 2 teaspoons water
• 8 oz fresh or frozen crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions, to garnish

If you are using fresh corn, pull back the husk, wash the cobs, and remove the kernels with a sharp knife or cleaver. You should end up with about 1 ½ cups corn. Mix the egg white and sesame oil together in a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot and add the corn. Simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered, then add the rice wine or sherry, light soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper, sugar, and the cornstarch mixture. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add the crabmeat. Immediately afterwards, slowly pour in the egg white mixture in a steady stream, stirring all the time. Transfer the soup to a tureen or individual bowls and garnish with the scallions.