Chicken & Sweetcorn Egg Drop Soup

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g chicken breast (2 fillets of about 200 g each)
• 2 tins sweetcorn (280 g drained)
• 4 eggs
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 1.4 l hot water
• 3 tbsp cornflour + 4 tbsp cold water
• 20 g fresh ginger + 2 garlic cloves
• 3 spring onions
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 200 g jasmine rice + 300 ml water (for cooking)
• Salt, white pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan
• Small saucepan with lid
• Colander
• Cutting board and knife
• Fine grater
• Bowl with a pouring spout

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the jasmine rice in a sieve until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a small saucepan with 300 ml water and a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 12 min over a very low heat, then leave to stand off the heat for 5 min without lifting the lid.
2. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into thin strips 5 mm thick and 4 cm long, slicing against the grain so they stay tender. Peel and grate the ginger, chop the garlic and slice the spring onions, keeping the whites separate from the greens.
3. In a large saucepan, bring the water to the boil with the crumbled stock cubes, the ginger, garlic and spring onion whites. Simmer for 3 min over a medium heat to flavour the stock well.
4. Add the chicken strips, drained sweetcorn and soy sauce, then cook for 5 min at a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat, until the chicken is white all the way through. Skim off any grey scum that forms on the surface with a spoon.
5. Mix the cornflour with the 4 tbsp cold water until there are no lumps. Pour it in a thin stream into the simmering soup, stirring constantly, then cook for 1 to 2 min: the broth will become slightly thick and glossy. Never add the cornflour dry.
6. Beat the eggs in the bowl with a pouring spout. Lower the heat so the soup barely simmers, gently swirl the broth with a spoon in one direction, then pour in the eggs in a very thin stream from a little height.
7. Wait 30 seconds without touching so the egg ribbons set, then stir just once, gently. Stirring too soon or too hard turns the egg into little grains instead of long, silky strands.
8. Turn off the heat, taste and adjust with a little salt and white pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle each with ½ tsp sesame oil and sprinkle with the spring onion greens. Serve with the rice on the side.