Old favourites made at home...

I am sure we all have our favourite dishes that we all adore, especially from the takeaway. I mean, who doesn't. This topic came up in our house because the husband is came down with a cold, and then passed it on to me, because he's a lovely kind sharing husband like that. And who doesn't want comfort food when you have a cold. Especially soup. We all dive for soup in the cold when we're not well. 

One such soup that has been a staple for me and my husband since we were children was the chicken and sweetcorn soup that it always on the menu at any chinese takeaway, and we often have as a starter. Its been something we have always wondered about eating as a meal, but where do you start? 

Anyone who has ever attempted to recreate a takeaway knows it is easier said than done. I mean, take out Indian food compared to the supermarket ready meals anyone? Precisely. It just doesn't seem to work. 

However, recently I stumbled on a recipe that seemed to meet the needs just right, and I gave it a go. My husband can't tell the difference, but him being the spicy food lover he is, you can't really trust his tastebuds ;) In my opinion its incredibly close, and possibly even nicer than the real deal, so I thought I would share this gem.

For two bowls of soup you will need:

1 tablespoon of oil to cook

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

100g of fresh skinless chicken breast (can be substituted with the cooked sliced stuff perfectly well)

A 1 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped or I find ground ginger powder tastes just fine

1 tablespoon of cornflour

600ml of hot chicken stock

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 egg

and to cook:

1. fry the chicken (if not already cooked), ginger and garlic in a deep pan using the oil for 3-4 minutes without browning. 

2. Add the sweetcorn and the stock, saving a little back to blend with the cornflour, adding this to the pan and bring to the boil stirring continuously till it has thickened. Then cook for a further 5-7 minutes or so.

3. Beat together the egg and the lemon juice, and slowly add a little at a time to the hot soup, using a chopstick or other implement to pull the egg into long strands

4. Season to taste and serve.

You could quite easily add noodles for a heartier meal, season with sesame seeds or a few drops of soy sauce. Or even some shredded spring onions. Whatever suits your fancy!

What about you? What takeaway favourites have you managed to successfully recreate at home?