Chicken Corn Egg Drop Soup (鸡茸粟米羹)

Use a heavy cleaver to chop the 3 oz (85g) of chicken meant into a paste and put it into a small bowl. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of water to the chicken paste, mixing well.

Use a chef's knife to remove 1/3 to 1/2 of a corn's kernels from one cob in a large plate.

Use a fine cheese grater to grate the rest of the two corns cobs into a large bowl. Alternatively, if using a mandoline, use the thinnest or finest slicer setting to slice the corn. If using a blender, use the same method as step 2 to remove the rest of the kernels and put them in the blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend until smooth.

Add all the corn kernels, corn paste, and juice from grating, along with 2 cups of water into a medium sauce pan, mixing a few times. Set the heat to medium. While waiting for the liquid to boil, prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a small bowl, mix the 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water to form starch water. Beat the egg and 1/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil thoroughly.

When the liquid starts showing signs of bubbling, scoop out a few tablespoons of the liquid to the chicken paste, mixing well until the chicken paste separates into tiny minced chicken pieces (this ensures the chicken paste does not stick together when added to the boiling soup). Add the chicken to the boiling liquid and stir gently.

When the liquid bubbles again, add the starch water slowly in a circular motion, mixing thoroughly (stir the starch water right before adding it to the soup to prevent any precipitation). When the soup thickens more, slowly pour the beaten egg into the soup, gently stirring the egg stream while pouring to spread the egg around.

When the soup starts to boil again, turn off the heat. Add the minced cilantro leaves or green onions and the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt,3 mixing well. Scoop the soup into 4 individual bowls in equal portions and serve while warm.