Chinese Sweet Corn Soup with Chicken and Dried Scallops
Naturally sweet and tasty, this Chinese sweet corn soup with dried scallops helps to improve the appetite, strengthen the kidneys and balance the digestive system.
I love corn however they’re cooked – grilled, boiled, roasted, steamed, baked, fried, you name it.. they all taste delicious. Maybe it’s the happy yellow colour (yellow is one of my favourite colours) or the juicy sweetness when I chomp on the corns.
There are only four ingredients for this soup. Sweet corn, chicken, dried scallops and dried red dates. Use fresh sweet corn on the cob and not the frozen or canned type for this recipe. You may also add fresh Chinese yam if you wish.
Dried scallops are considered a delicacy and expensive but they add an umami flavor to any soup that you add them in. I usually save them for certain soups such as this. An added benefit is you’ll only have to use minimal salt (if at all) if you have dried scallops in the soup.
In Traditional Chinese medicine, they are believed to strengthen the kidneys, balance urination and help the body to recover from long-term illnesses. Read more about it here.
If you have any leftovers of this soup, don’t toss it away! It is so sweet you can use it as a stock. Refrigerate and use the soup in your stir-fry vegetables in place of water.
How to choose the best sweet corn?
In Singapore, an ear of bi-colored corn costs almost triple the price of a yellow corn. However, sometimes in the yellow corn section, I do come across corn with some white kernels but it’s not often you’ll see them. If you can find corn with yellow and white kernels, go for it. Cook the sweet corn as soon as possible after you buy them. The longer it’s kept, the less sweet it will be.
Pick those with plump and shiny kernels without any dimples. If it looks wrinkled, it’s an indication that the corn is old and won’t be as juicy and sweet. More information on choosing an ear of corn can be found here.
If you love sweet corn, try my other Chinese Sweet Corn Soup recipe too.
- 1.5 liter water or enough to immerse all ingredients
- 350 chicken drumstick (chopped into smaller pieces or leave whole)
- 2 corn on the cob, cut into small sized sections
- 6 - 8 dried scallops (depending on size) - soaked till soften and reserve soaking water
- 6 dried red dates
- Salt to taste
- Blanch chicken in a pot of boiling water. Remove, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Place all ingredients in a soup pot including the soaking water for the dried scallops and bring to a boil. Then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Season with salt to taste.
Hi Yvonne, can i check with you if i don’t put red date can it be replace with wolfberry & also add in some “huan san”
Hi Jenny,
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can but the taste will be slightly different.
Mmmm this looks tasty! =)
Thanks for the instructions Yvonne!
My mum is a passionate cook so I will print out the recipe for her!
Thanks, Lawrence. I hope your mom likes this Chinese Corn Soup recipe 🙂
Hi Yvonne,
this looks like another delicious soup I would like to try!
I love these 4 simple ingredients to make a tasty soup. Is the 2 hours optimum for the flavors to come out? How can I help the process to make it as flavorful but in less time?
Hi Dinh,
2 hours is the optimum time if you’re boiling this with a regular soup pot on a stove top. If you want to cook this in a shorter time, you can consider using a pressure cooker which can cut down the cooking time to a third to half of the time. Read more about the different types of soup pots here.
Hi Yvonne,
I’m not much of a soup lover but this one really looks good.
I’m going to try this for dinner tomorrow.
Thanks
Mike
Hi Yvonne,
I also love corn but I was surprised to hear how expensive it is for bi-coloured corn compared to yellow corn! I know Singapore is expensive because I lived there for a year (I’m in Malaysia). Anyway maybe it’s the same here, I’ve only seen the yellow corn. Great recipe though, looks superb!
– Best…
Craig.
Hi Craig,
It’s nice to know you’re living in Malaysia. I have many memories of Malaysia as I used to live there too. You can use either bi-colored or normal sweet corn for this recipe. Both are good! 🙂
Hi Yvonne,
that’s a great idea I’ll try your recipe next week. Reading made me already hungry. Does that need really two hours? Seems a long time to me, but I have to admit I’m not a great cook.
Have a wonderful weekend
Alec
Hi Alec, the long hours of simmering a soup will bring out the optimum flavors of the food. If you are too busy to keep an eye over a simmering pot, you can cook the soup in a slow cooker, thermal pot or fuzzy logic rice cooker. If you don’t have any of those, use any stove top pot and cook for at least an hour or until the meat is tender. Btw, you can also substitute the pork with chicken. Have a wonderful weekend too 🙂
hi Yvonne!
another great soup recipe by you! This corn soup looks very good and hearty. I could see myself eating this in the winter time when it is a bit cooler. As a vegetarian I would probably replace the pork ribs with tofu unless you have other suggestions? As it would come with a loss of flavor too. I also think that bi-color corn is a bit sweeter. I remember going to farmer’s markets with my mom as a child and her always asking for bi-color corn 🙂
Hi Emily, nice to see you! For a vegetarian version of this soup I would suggest boiling some dried anchovies and/or yellow beans (also known as soy beans. soak for about half an hour before cooking) together with the rest of the ingredients. Tofu would be more suitable for quick boil soups. Hope it helps. Do write in if you have further questions 🙂
Hi Yvonne!
I love to cook and I enjoy Chinese food. However, I never really knew how to cook Chinese foods, but your recipes will help to get started. Thank you for sharing. I do have a few questions:
1. What is a “fuzzy logic rice cooker” – I have heard of rice cookers, but never heard of a “fuzzy logic” type.
2. Any ideas where one could find corn with yellow and white kernels?
Thank you for your time. Have an awesome day. I am looking forward to more recipes to try out.
Stephanie
Hi Steph, thanks for writing in. Fuzzy logic rice cookers have microchip technology that enables them to cook a wider range of food compared to an electric rice cooker. You can find corn with yellow and white kernels at a farmer’s market but “regular” corn works fine for this recipe too.
Hey there Yvonne, I like this recipe, it looks very appetising in the picture. I am not a fan of pork but I guess I could replace it with an alternative.
Hi Ellie, you can replace the pork with chicken. Sometimes I make this with chicken too.
wow this looks really yummy! Can’t wait to try it
Thanks Vicky. I hope you’ll like the recipe 🙂