Cream Corn Chicken soup

[Fendermate]

50 years ago, in Vancouver's Delightful Foods restaurant, I had this Cantonese cream corn chicken soup that was beyond flavorful, it was an experience.

The primary flavors were definitely chicken and corn and combined perfectly. But, the excitement happened when I took a breath before my next spoonful.

With the air rolling over my tongue, I received an extra flavor.

It was fresh, hot buttered popcorn.

Wow! I just could not stop eating to experience this over and over.

A couple of years later I returned and was ready to do almost anything for the recipe, but they had closed their doors.

Over the years, I have tried everything I could learn to duplicate this and have failed.

Has anyone had this experience?

Would anyone have any ideas?

[btbyrd]

You could try making popcorn stock and using that to flavor the soup. It's probably not what they did at the restaurant, but it will provide the note you're looking for.

[Fendermate]

Popcorn stock?

I've never heard of that.

[btbyrd]

It's not really a thing, but a little while back making grits out of popcorn was a brief trend thanks to chef Daniel Patterson. (Check out the link for a video demo of the dish.) That recipe basically consists in making popcorn and then boiling it in water with some butter and then passing it through a sieve. A byproduct of this process is the intensely flavored popcorn cooking liquid -- basically buttered popcorn stock.

[Fendermate]

You know, that's just silly enough to try. Not to fully flavor the soup, but enough to create that after flavor.

Thanks for the tip.

[gfweb]

3 hours ago, btbyrd said:

It's not really a thing, but a little while back making grits out of popcorn was a brief trend thanks to chef Daniel Patterson. (Check out the link for a video demo of the dish.) That recipe basically consists in making popcorn and then boiling it in water with some butter and then passing it through a sieve. A byproduct of this process is the intensely flavored popcorn cooking liquid -- basically buttered popcorn stock.

 

He looks a little deranged.

But a neat idea.

 

[btbyrd]

1 hour ago, Fendermate said:

You know, that's just silly enough to try. Not to fully flavor the soup, but enough to create that after flavor.

Thanks for the tip.

 

If you try it, let us know how it worked out. I've done the popcorn grits thing before but never used the liquid for anything apart from the grits themselves. I've always thought it would be a good addition to a chowder or tortilla soup, but never got around to trying it.

 

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

He looks a little deranged.

But a neat idea.

 

Patterson can give of a bit of a Norman Bates vibe, but he puts out some thoughtful and beautiful dishes. If you're at all interested, check out his MAD presentation "A Short History of The Beet" to get a sense of his approach to food (and to hear David Chang laughing too loud on the mic, which was apparently just beside him). Patterson's beet rose is a thing of beauty, as well as a real pain in the ass to produce. A few simple ingredients, clean flavor profiles, insane technique. It's an inspirational invitation to look at familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar way. Why not make a popcorn stock? Why not make beet gummy bears? 

[heidih]

11 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

 

It's an inspirational invitation to look at familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar way. Why not make a popcorn stock? Why not make beet gummy bears? 

Pandemic indoor curfew times - hey - play

[ElsieD]

I've made popcorn ice cream.  Don't laugh - it's quite good.

[shain]

Try bittering and grilling the corn cobs over open flame before adding the kernals to the soup. You'll definitely get some popcorn vibes. You can make popcorn stock, it'd be cool, but I'd probably just toast some cornmeal really well and extract it, or leave it in the soup. And while making stock, don't forget to include the remaining corn cobs into it.

[Fendermate]

Okay, I am definitely intrigued with the 'Popcorn Stock' idea. It's simple and controllable. Plus, if it works, you folks will have a new secret ingredient to WOW your audiences.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

I really have to say "Thank You".

This is the first time....ever, where I've found a group devoted to food flavor as the star of the dining experience and are more than willing to help keep that alive.

For me, the most alive memories have been food, starting at the ripe old age of 3 1/2, with a home made Borsch and a Hazel Nut Torte (I can still taste them).

These and others, have set a standard that I can't help but gauge all menus against, regardless of the price. And, since I have not been successful at repeating these memories through 'purchased' dishes, I'll continue experimenting on my own.

(And they wonder why so many restaurants fail.)

[AlaMoi]

or one could go lab style . . .

https://www.lorannoils.com/1-dram-size/buttered-popcorn-flavor-0892-dram

[Fendermate]

Great idea but, sorry, Lorann does not ship to Canada.

I did, however, find Fusion Flavors, that carries Buttered Popcorn by Flavor West and I ordered a couple of 5ml bottles.

https://www.fusionflavours.ca/

I look forward to playing with it.

[Kerry Beal]

5 hours ago, Fendermate said:

Great idea but, sorry, Lorann does not ship to Canada.

I did, however, find Fusion Flavors, that carries Buttered Popcorn by Flavor West and I ordered a couple of 5ml bottles.

https://www.fusionflavours.ca/

I look forward to playing with it.

Loranne flavours can be found in just about every bulk food store in Canada. 

[Fendermate]

Yes, you're probably right. But not popcorn.

[Kerry Beal]

On 11/23/2020 at 10:41 AM, Fendermate said:

Yes, you're probably right. But not popcorn.

amazon.com will ship it to Canada

[Fendermate]

That's okay. I'm going to make the popcorn stock and play with the essence. That will give me an idea if I'm on the right track.

Thanks for the research.