Chinese Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

I love this soup. Authentic Chinese food is what I aim to cook, and you can be guaranteed that the Chinese people do not eat the type of food we get in takeaways in Ireland. China does not suffer high obesity rates like Western countries do. There is a little bit more work to make this soup than some others, but it is worth it.

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Ingredients

1 large chicken fillet

1 litre of chicken stock

A dash of sesame oil

An inch-sized piece of ginger

200g tin of sweetcorn, drained

2 tablespoons cornflour

2 egg whites

Spring onions to garnish

Method

• Poach the chicken fillet by covering it with water in a medium saucepan, placing it on a high heat until the water starts to bubble, then reducing to an easy simmer for 20 minutes until cooked and tender.

• Remove it from the water and allow to cool on a plate, reserving the cooking water for later.

• When the fillet is cool, shred it by pulling it into long thin strips with a fork.

• In a large saucepan combine the stock and sesame oil, grate in the ginger and add the sweetcorn. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil.

• In the meantime make a thin paste in a cup by mixing some of the chicken poaching water with the cornflour.

• Beat the two egg whites lightly with another dash of the poaching water in a separate cup.

• When the large saucepan has reached boiling point, add the shredded chicken, return to the boil and stir in the cornflour paste.

• Now, from a height of about 15cm/6in, gently drizzle in the egg white mix while stirring (this will ensure it doesn’t clump together and that it will cook fully).

• Check for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if needed. Serve with a garnish of spring onions cut on the diagonal.