Coconut corn soup with chili crisp

 

This recipe includes a nod to the chili crisp craze. Seemingly everything must now be anointed with this condiment of the moment. I had bought some to try out the three-ingredient cherry tomato salad, which I used as a pasta sauce. Fine enough, but I still had more chili crisp left over, of course, so now I pay attention to recipes that call for it.

Coconut corn soup with chili crisp
Adapted from the Wall Street Journal

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
5 cups fresh corn kernels, or 2 (12-ounce) bags frozen corn
2 cups broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
Chili crisp, for garnish

Method
Heat olive oil over medium low heat until it shimmers. Add onion, coriander, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and cook until onion has softened and turned translucent. Increase heat to medium high. Add corn, broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook until corn is cooked, stirring often, about 10 to 20 minutes depending on whether you’re using frozen or fresh corn.

Let soup cool slightly before blending to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with chili crisp.

Rating: Both of us were first struck that it tasted like a slightly richer version of creamed corn. So this recipe may depend on how you feel about that. I was only exposed as a child to what they glopped out of those industrial-size vats in the school lunch room. This recipe offers more complexity of flavor, obviously. The chili crisp is a good match. I can’t detect the coconut milk as a notable flavor, but I’m sure it brings something to the party. Since you can use frozen corn if need be, this is pretty pantry friendly. Serves 4 to 6, depending on whether you’re using soup bowls or soup plates.

The best part: Dave asked what it was I had called the swirl of stuff on top. I explained that it was the stuff that was now being slathered on pretty much everything. He said they probably didn't put it on watermelon. I told him I was pretty sure he was wrong about that, but waited until after lunch to google to prove him wrong. Not sure if I need to try out watermelon burrata salad with chili crisp or any of the other multitude of watermelon-chili crisp recipes. I have considered watermelon and Tajin, however, the previous thing everyone had to sprinkle on everything.