I’m a huge soup fan. Chunky, smooth, creamy, or noodle-y, come wintertime, I want all the soups, all the time. Thankfully, not all soups take hours to make. This corn soup, thickened with a bit of tofu and seasoned with sweet and mellow white miso, is a fast favorite once the temperature starts to dip.
my superpowerful, tiny vitamix s30. i love this guy!
I love this soup mostly because of the pairing between sweet corn and miso, but also because of the textural contrast added by the crunchy tofu, and, of course, the tofu itself! Oh, how I love tofu in soup.
It’s one of my favorite tricks, using tofu to thicken soup. Silken tofu adds body and creaminess without cream. It’s funny because I’m not remotely vegetarian or vegan, but after the fact, I figured out this soup was a bunch of those catchphrase foods trends that are so hot right now: vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free.
Mike: That was pretty tasty.
Me: Right!? And so easy! Only corn, onions, tofu and miso!
Mike: Wait – what? I ate vegan food and liked it?!
Me: Huh, it is vegan. Funny!
I may not be on the up and up with healthy food trends, but I do love something that seems to be quite popular in the kitchen: blenders. I use mine mainly for soups, dressings, and smoothies. My tiny (compared to the behemoths that are the regular Vitamixes) S30 personal-sized Vitamix is perfect for making soup for two. It’s super powerful and even heats soups up while you blend. It’s truly one of my favorite kitchen appliances and in the spirit of the holiday season I’m giving one away!
Miso Corn Soup Recipe
serves 2-3Soup
- oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cups corn (I used frozen corn)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 package silken tofu, about 1/4 – 1/3 cup
- 1 1/2 tablespoon white miso paste, or to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Crispy Tofu Croutons
- tofu, as needed
- oil, preferably safflower, sunflower, or grapeseed
- salt, if desired
Garnish
- sliced green onions
- crispy tofu croutons (recipe below)
- flaky sea salt
- red pepper flakes
In a skillet, heat up a small bit of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the corn and warm through briefly. Remove the onion and corn from the heat and place in a blender with the chicken broth, tofu, and miso paste. Blend until smooth and hot if using a Vitamix. Taste and adjust the thickness of your soup based on preference. If you like a thicker soup, add more tofu, if you like a thin soup, use some broth to thin it out. If needed, return the soup from the blender to the skillet and heat up until steaming.
Make the tofu croutons: Cut the remaining tofu up into 2 cm cubes. Set on paper towels, flipping so all sides drain. In a skillet, heat up a generous amount of oil over medium high heat. Fry the tofu, flipping as needed, until golden brown and crisp, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and season with salt, if needed.
Taste and adjust seasoning with miso and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot with sliced green onions, crispy tofu, sea salt and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
WIN ME!!!
Giveaway: I paired up with Vitamix to give away one Vitamix S30! I absolutely love mine and know you will love yours too!
Enter: To enter, leave a comment below with your favorite soup memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and contact them by email. Open to Canadian and US Residents only. (Sorry international friends!) Contest ends December 20th at 12AM PST. Good luck!
Update: Congrats Jenna @ Just J.Faye, you’ve won yourself a brand new Vitamix! Happy Christmas! Keep an eye out for an email from me!
My Dad travels all over for work, and he also loves foods from other cultures, so I had the opportunity to grow up with a diversity of foods in the house. One of my soup memories, is that when I was sick instead of chicken soup he would pick me up pho or some seafood congee. These soups are are imbued with added comfort to me now as an adult. Love your blog!
My favorite soup memory, purely coincidentally, involves corn chowder (although this recipe looks much better than the one I’m remembering).
I graduated from West Point, where meals are served in the ancient and massive “Mess Hall”. The kitchens rotate through a set meal plan, which means that within a semester or two all the cadets are extremely familiar with each meal and its accompaniments. One particular lunch menu includes spicy chicken sandwiches, and comes with a steaming pot of corn chowder for each table. While the soup isn’t actually very good, there is a strange tradition attached to it (one that I’ve never actually had explained to me). Whenever corn chowder is served to the cadets, one plebe (freshman cadet – the lowest rank at the academy) will voluntarily ascend to the top of the “poop deck” in the center of the mess hall, and announce in his deepest and loudest voice, “Corps! For lunch we are having… COOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRN… CHOWDERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!” The goal of each plebe volunteer is to be the one to shout “corn chowder” for as loud and long as possible, and the entire mess hall will erupt into mayhem every time it’s announced. Poor showings are met with loud boos and insults, while admirable attempts receive thunderous cheers and claps. Each occurrence was a welcome reprieve from the daily humdrum of classes, intramural athletics, and parade drill, but one occasion in particular stands out in my mind. One noble plebe, whose name I shall never know, achieved greatness that day. His shout was longer and louder than anything anyone had ever heard in all their years at the academy, by a vast margin. He began low and slow, and as his call of “corn chowder” continued, his voice began to rise in both pitch and intensity, climbing upwards to impossible heights. Upperclassmen stopped mid-conversation as they realized they were experiencing something truly special, and by the end of the call, every single cadet in the mess hall stared silently and rapturously at the best and bravest plebe they’d ever witnessed. His voice pierced the rafters far above each wing, floated through the kitchens and the steam tunnels underground, threatened to shatter the stained glass windows above the main entrance. Tears streamed down faces, and all chests swelled in a collective pride that day. By the time he had finished the first word, “corn”, you might have heard a pin drop in the mess hall. We were entranced. But how could he follow such a dazzling performance? He had yet to announce the second word, “chowder”, but it seemed impossible to continue as valiantly as he had during the “corn”. Surely his lungs were spent, his larynx raw. As he paused and drew a deep breath, deeper, deeper, the mess hall drew one as well. And then he let loose with a bellowing crescendo the likes of which have no precedent, and which has never been equaled. His “chowder” reached the heavens, and brought us to our knees. Those of us who were unable to join the raucous celebration sank to our knees and wept openly.
He remains unmatched, our nameless hero, and each attempt thereafter was met with derisive scorn. My only hope is that he knows the joy and elation he brought to each heart in grey that afternoon. Each of us stepped lightly that day, walking on a cloud of bliss after having witnessed greatness. The memory is certainly my favorite soup-based memory, one that I cherish. And I can say with surety that it is the same for all who were there that fateful day.
My brother and I made loaded baked potato soup in my tiny college apartment a couple of years back and we still talk about how delicious it was.
My favorite soup memory is of my mom making us clam chowder every christmas eve. Her’s was always so good that I haven’t dared to make it myself, but maybe this year will be the year!
Whenever I was sick, my mom would always make a Chinese carrot and corn soup that had the perfect balance of sweetness from the carrots and corn but saltiness from the pork. Now that I’ve moved away from home, I constantly crave that soup, especially when I’m sick!
My favorite soup memory is the minestrone soup my mother made. Lots of veggies and rich broth. I’m sure it wasn’t vegetarian, but now I make a great minestrone that is vegan. Love it with crusty bread.
I remember going to a tea room in Iowa as a kid with my grandma and having a cold strawberry soup that was sweet & lovely!
Okay, my best soup story is from about 25 or 26 years ago.
My big brother and his family came to California to meet my new baby. I was so excited they were coming I threw a party for all my friends to meet them. It was blustery weather and I decided to make Mexican Soup, after all those East Coast people don’t know about Mexican Food. The menu was Cervice, Assorted Quesadillas, various salsas and chips, AND spicy tortilla soup. 40 people. Well, I didn’t know about the varying degrees of hotness from different peppers. and I have never been one for following the recipe. i can’t tell you how many or what kind of peppers i put in the soup but…
the first guest that had soup took one slurp…
his face turned red….
his mouth dropped open and he yelled: “OMG, this is inedible! ”
My adorable husband rushed to the supermarket to buy sour cream to try and save the meal. But it was, indeed, inedible. To this day, among my family and friends, the measure of hot versus too hot is: “is it inedible?”.
I love using Vitamix to make green smoothies. Add 3 portions spinach and one portion fruit (my fav is pineapple) and viola you got your self a healthy delicious drink!
The only soup I remember eating growing up is chili and I would forgo the spoon and just use Saltines to eat the whole bowl!