Corn, Ginger and Dill Soup
Freeze-dried corn and a dill-heavy broth, thickened with potato flakes instead of a blender.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 3.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 137
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried sweet corn | 3/4 cup | stands in for two cobs |
|---|---|---|
| Dried bell pepper flakes | 2 tbsp | orange or red |
| Dried zucchini or mixed vegetable flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 3 tbsp | the thickener |
| Vegetable bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Dried minced garlic | 1 tsp | |
| Dried green onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1/4 tsp | |
| Paprika | 1/4 tsp | |
| Dried dill | 1 tsp | |
| Dried cilantro | 1 tsp | parsley if cilantro is not your thing |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | only if the corn is bland |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Pour the whole bag into the pot with 600 ml of water. Do not add the oil yet.
- Bring it to a boil, then drop to the lowest flame you can hold.
- Simmer eight to ten minutes, stirring now and then. The corn and pepper need that time to come back.
- Kill the heat. Stir in the oil and let it sit two minutes covered.
- If it is still thin, sprinkle in another spoon of potato flakes and stir.
The original is a late-summer soup built on fresh cobs, and the fresh corn is the whole point. Freeze-dried corn is the only honest substitute on trail: it rehydrates sweet and stays in whole kernels, which is more than can be said for canned or dehydrated corn.
The home version gets its body from pureeing a few cups of soup and stirring them back in. No blender in camp, so potato flakes do the job. Add them with the rest and they dissolve into the broth over the simmer. The dill and ginger go in dry from the start because dried herbs need heat and time to give up anything at all.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag at home except the oil, which rides in a dropper bottle. Bouillon cube can stay in its wrapper inside the bag.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken turns it into a real dinner and adds about 20 g of protein.
- Coconut milk powder, 2 tbsp, makes it closer to a chowder.
- Swap the ginger and dill for cumin and chili if you want it to taste like a different soup entirely.
https://daraeats.com/corn-soup-with-ginger-and-dill