Corn Flower Soup

This is the corn soup you’ll find on tables across Chinese homes and takeout menus alike. It goes by many names, but the idea is always the same: a silky, slightly thick broth built on creamed corn with wisps of beaten egg swirled through at the last moment.

This version adds chopped pork browned in the pot first, which builds a savory base that the creamed corn simmers into. The egg goes in off the heat, poured in a slow stream while you stir gently, creating those signature golden ribbons floating through the soup.

Five ingredients. One pot. Thirty-five minutes from start to steaming bowl.

Kitchen Tips

• Chop the pork very fine so it cooks quickly and distributes evenly through the soup. Think almost minced.
• Pour the beaten egg in a thin, steady stream while stirring the soup slowly in one direction. This creates delicate ribbons instead of scrambled clumps.
• Remove the pot from the heat before adding the egg. Residual heat is all you need to set the egg without overcooking it.
• White creamed corn gives the soup its classic pale, silky look. Yellow works too but changes the color.