Chicken Sweet Corn Soup

What you will need:

2-3 chicken fillets (2 breast or 3 thigh), cut into bite sized pieces
2-3 rashers bacon, sliced
300-500ml chicken stock (1-2 cups)
2 cans creamed corn
4 spring onions, sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic (to taste), cut, chopped and squashed with the blade of a large knife.
2-4 knobs of ginger (to taste)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Seasoning to taste: Tobasco, pepper, chilli
Extra water as necessary

Putting it all together:

• Fry the spring onion in a little olive oil in a pot. As the onion becomes soft, add the bacon and fry until crispy. To this mixture add the chicken pieces and fry until the outsides are seared.

HINT: If the bacon or chicken are sticking to the bottom of the pot, deglaze the mixture by adding a little chicken stock or any of the following; Chinese rice wine, dry sherry or white wine.

• Add the garlic and ginger and the chicken stock to the pot, and bring to the boil.
• Add the two cans of creamed corn and stir through. If the consistency seems too thick add more stock or a little water.
• Bring soup to the boil and immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (to ensure the mix doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan).
• Finely slice the green leafy parts of the spring onion into rings, and add to the soup. Remove the soup from the heat and pour the lightly beaten eggs into the soup and stir the soup immediately. As the heat of the soup cooks the egg, it should form into attractive strings. The soup will also thicken at this point, so add some more hot water as desired.
• Bring the soup back up to a low simmer, and season as desired: pepper and a dash of chilli are recommended, Tabasco sauce etc.

HINT: I often run a drizzle of sweet soy sauce across the top of mine and add a teaspoon of fresh chillies.