Indian-Spiced Corn Chowder from Union Square Cafe
Corn chowder is a classic American soup, and a great representative of one of America’s biggest crops.
This is a more exotic version of corn chowder, brilliantly flavored with cumin, turmeric, ginger, and jalapeño. The recipe is from Union Square Café in New York City.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 4 to 5 ears); corncobs cut into 2-inch pieces and reserved
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup well washed and diced leek, white part only
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
pinch of ground turmeric
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup sliced (1/8-inch-thick rounds) fingerling or small new potatoes (about 12 ounces)
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
Combine half of the corn kernels, the cut-up corncobs, the cream, and milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and use tongs to remove and discard the corncobs. Puree the corn and cream mixture in a blender in as many batches as necessary. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and into a large bowl, and set aside.
Melt the butter over low heat in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, jalapeño, ginger, salt, and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the remaining corn and the potatoes and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the reserved pureed corn mixture to the saucepan with the vegetables. Pour in the vegetable or chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and cook gently, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chives, and serve.
