Corn Soup
コーンスープ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Corn soup is a fixture on Japanese school lunch menus, and it's one of those dishes almost every child will happily finish. This preschool-kitchen version keeps things simple: onion simmered in a light consommé broth, canned cream-style corn for natural sweetness, and skim milk powder for creaminess without heavy cream. A little potato starch at the end gives it a smooth, spoonable body that's easy for even the youngest children to eat.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 15 gonion
- 30 gcanned cream-style corn
Seasonings
- 148.5 mlwater
- 4.2 gskim milk powderMilk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- 0.8 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 0.3 gsalt
- 1.5 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- skim milk powder (スキムミルク)
- Milk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Cut the onion into thin slices, then cut the slices in half so they are half the length.
- 2
Put the water, consommé, and onion in a pot and simmer.
- 3
Once the onion is soft, add the canned cream-style corn, the skim milk powder dissolved in lukewarm water, and the salt, and bring just to a boil. (The soup scorches easily once the cream-style corn and skim milk are in, so watch it carefully.)
- 4
To finish, thicken the soup with the potato starch dissolved in water.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 49.5 kcal | 99 kcal | 49.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10.5 g | 21 g | 10.5 g |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 49.5 mg | 99 mg | 49.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 144 mg | 288 mg | 144 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 49.5 kcal | 2.1 g | 0.2 g | 10.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 49.5 mg | 0.2 mg | 144 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 99 kcal | 4.2 g | 0.3 g | 21 g | 1.8 g | 1.5 g | 99 mg | 0.3 mg | 288 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
