Curried sweetcorn soup with chicken

Curry is especially popular in Canton in southern China, and Fujian in the east. Chinese cooks use curry as a light addition to seasonings for a subtle touch, rather than a dominant one. This isn’t a traditional Chinese soup, it’s my version of a sweetcorn soup that’s delicious and easy to make.

LOW 1OF5 FAT ADAY before adding egg SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins

450g/1lb fresh sweetcorn cobs or 280g/10oz canned sweetcorn, drained 225g/8oz skinless, chicken breasts,

thinly sliced into long shreds 1 egg white, plus 1 egg, beaten 2 tsp sesame oil 3 tsp cornflour 1.2 litres/2 pints chicken stock 1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry

Sherry 1 tbsp curry powder or paste 1 tsp sugar 2 spring onions, finely chopped,

to garnish

1 If you’re using fresh corn, wash the cobs and remove the kernels with a sharp knife or cleaver. Put in a bowl and set aside – you should end up with about 280g. 2 Mix the chicken shreds with the egg white, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp cornfour in a small bowl and chill for 15 mins. Beat the whole egg and remaining sesame oil together in another small bowl and set aside. 3 Bring the stock to a simmer in a large pan, add the sweetcorn and simmer for 10 mins, uncovered. Meanwhile, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Turn off the heat and quickly blanch the chicken shreds until they just turn white – about 20 secs. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. 4 Add the Shaohsing rice wine to the stock with the curry powder, 1 tsp salt, the sugar and the remaining cornfour pre-mixed with 2 tsp water. Bring it back to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for another 5 mins. 5 Add the blanched chicken shreds, then add the egg and sesame oil mixture in a very slow, thin stream. Using a chopstick or fork, pull the egg slowly into strands. 6 Ladle into a large bowl, garnish with the spring onions and serve straight away. PER SERVING 246 kcals • fat 6g • saturates 1g • carbs 18g • sugars 3g • fbre 4g • protein 28g • salt 2.2g