Serves 2 as an appetizer

A beautifully light and fragrant soup, this will make a lovely starter. Be sure not to omit the chili and coriander garnish as they add the necessary top notes to round off and finish the soup. Serve with crunchy bread, if desired.


1 TB olive oil
2 tsp lemongrass paste
1 tsp ginger paste
180g sweetcorn kernels
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 cup semi-skimmed milk
2 TB sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili
coriander, to garnish (optional)


Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat and add the lemongrass paste and ginger paste. Lightly fry for a minute, then tip in the sweetcorn kernels, followed by the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the corn is tender.

Pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Once frothy and starting to thicken, remove the pan from the heat. Use a hand blender to blitz the mixture to a smooth soup. You could choose to only partially blitz if you prefer more texture to the soup.

Stir in the sour cream and allow to warm through gently. Season as needed with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Use a sharp knife to finely slice the red chili. Divide the soup between two warm bowls and add the red chili slices, along with some coriander leaves.