A HAPPY ACCIDENT IN THE KITCHEN

​Last night, I thought I had dinner all figured out. I would simply open a can of whole-kernel corn, slice some potatoes for French fries, and serve them with thinly sliced pork barbecue, pounded tender with my meat tenderizer hammer. I thought they would make a simple, satisfying dinner.

But there was a hitch. Sadly, I had picked up the wrong can at the grocery store and didn’t realize it until I opened it. Instead of whole-kernel corn, I found myself staring at a can of creamed corn!

Fortunately, I still had some fried rice left over from the other night, so dinner was saved and turned out just fine.

But then came the question: What was I going to do with the opened can of creamed corn?

My helper suggested eating it as it was, or adding milk and crushed ice, the way it is sometimes enjoyed in halo-halo. Instead, I decided to turn it into corn cream soup.

After searching for the right recipe, I was torn between making a simple vegetable corn soup or one enriched with cream. The un-creamed version won—Jim prefers his soup without cream.

 

Here’s what went to my little kitchen experiment:

• Sauté minced garlic, grated ginger, and chopped onions.
• Add grated carrots, thinly sliced beans, chopped celery, chopped red bell pepper, and two thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms.
• Put in 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper
• Cook the vegetables until thoroughly tender.
• Stir in one can of creamed corn.
• Add ½ teaspoon each of sugar and balsamic vinegar. Regular vinegar works, too.
• Add 3/4 cup water or 2 cups if you want more soup, just thicken with a tablespoon of cirm starch. 
• Sprinkle with thinly sliced spring onions and celery. 

And there it was—a delicious bowl of homemade corn soup, born from a simple grocery-store mistake!

It turned out to be the perfect comfort food for a cool, rainy day. Warm, nourishing, and soothing, it was more than just soup. It was comfort in a bowl—something that warmed both the body and the soul.

Sometimes, the best things in the kitchen happen when things don’t go quite as planned.

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