Umami Corn Broth Udon with Summer Veggies
October 1st, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized
It all started with corn on the cob.
I must have been a Depression child in another life, because I can’t bear to throw away corn cobs. They make a brilliant corn broth, simply by filling a pot with water and adding three or four cobs (to be clear, I mean already-eaten cobs, with no corn kernels on them, or cobs that have been shaved; you can use some of the shaved kernels in the soup), and simmering for an hour or so, though the result is even tastier if you make the broth in a pressure cooker. I often throw in a few dried shiitake, maybe a dried apricot or two, possibly a cut-up carrot if I’m feeling energetic.
But what made this broth really special is what happened next. I was planning on having a simple udon dinner; just for fun, I thought I’d up the umami quotient quite a bit by adding a drizzle of fish sauce, soy sauce, and Bragg’s amino acids (this hippie crap is my new umami-in-a-bottle), and simmer it down a bit while the udon cooked in a separate pot (the reason for the separate pot: cooking udon throws off tons of starch in the cooking water, and I didn’t want my beautiful corn umami broth sullied with starch). I picked a few kaffir lime leaves off the tree and tossed those into the broth as well, to give it some brightness.
Meanwhile, I sauteed some starburst squash, red onion, a small amount of young ginger, corn from one shaved ear, and a carrot. It all went into warmed up bowls, and got topped with turmeric chips.
I think I could eat this soup every day.
6 Responses to “Umami Corn Broth Udon with Summer Veggies”
By
@KitchenM on Oct 2, 2009
What a great way to enjoy corn twice over! – never thought of using the cobs for soup!!
Udon sounds so good right now since the weather is getting cool.
By
breakawaycook on Oct 2, 2009
Thanks Em– love that photo of you! Cobs are fantastic as bases for stock; don't throw them out!
By
Rowi on Oct 2, 2009
This is a fantastic post – I love soups and corn on the cob and this recipe is just what I need as I have a couple of fresh corn cobs, just waiting to be enjoyed in a new way. Hubby and I usually eat these plain boiled with dabs of butter, sprinkle of saltflakes and chilies. Your creation is so full of exciting ingredients that I am so eager to try making the soup this weekend (sans turmeric chips – hard to find fresh ones in Stockholm) and shall use dried porcini slivers instead of shiitake. Thanks for the tips on cooking udon. Would it make a difference if I used freshly shaved-off corn cobs and will save the kernels for the soup?
Many thanks for this inspiring recipe!
By
Danielle on Oct 2, 2009
What a great idea! I'll post and let you know when we riff off it – I'd probably add some heat and some pork, but really, this is wonderfully inspiring. Thank you!
By
breakawaycook on Oct 2, 2009
Thank you Rowi and Danielle, and welcome! You absolutely may use freshly shaved corn kernels. I neglected to explain that in the post, and have now amended it, so thanks for the spur.Slivers of porcini would be fantastic, but I would probably reconstitute them first and then fry them a bit to make them crispy, though that may be an extra, somewhat fussy step. Let us know how it turns out!
Heat and pork sound great. I've been eating so many chiles lately that I took a break here, and I'm heavy into my new vegetarian book, so most new dishes are sans meat. For a while only!
By
cbryanclark on Oct 5, 2009
Bragg's Liquid Amino's…been using it for years. It's great stuff. They make a spectacular olive oil, as well. Wonderful idea for the corn cobs. Keep it up. Thanks…!