Chowder with Asian Flavors

I had so much fun making this with Bryan. Steve and I don’t have cable, so I’ve never seen Nigella on t.v. So I decided to youtube a few of her videos. Umm, she’s pretty much fantastic. She’s so different from any other culinary artist I’m used to (Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, and so on and so on). I love the filming style of her videos, and from the few that I watched (Caramel Croissant Pudding, Doughnut French Toast, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae) – I also love the simplicity of her recipes. She’s also a girl after my own heart that loves all things sweet I think I may need one of her cookbooks IMMEDIATELY!

Source: Nigella Lawson, Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast Cookbook

3 c. chicken stock/broth (not instant)
1 lb. baking potatoes or 2 medium-sized, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes to make 2 1/2 c.
4 oz. baby leeks, sliced into 1/2-in lenghts to make 1 c.
4 oz. baby corn, cut into 1/4-inch slices to make 1 1/4 c.
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. ground mace
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 lb (4 oz) skinless smoked cod filets, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c. lime juice
8 oz. small or medium frozen shrimp
1 1/2 c. canned sweet corn, drained
1 tsp. kosher salt or 1/2 tsp. table salt
1 long red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Bring the stock to a boil in a medium-sized pan. Cook the chopped potatoes, leeks, and baby corn in the stock with the bay leaves and mace for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add the coconut milk, the chopped smoked fish, and the lime juice. Bring the pan back to a boil and let simmer for a minute or so. Tip in the shrimp and sweet corn and once again let it come back to a boil to heat them through. Season with salt and then serve. Decorate each bowl with some chopped chile and pungent, leafy cilantro.

[My 2 Cents]
This is a very fishy chowder, so if you don’t like seafood – run in the other direction! If I were to make any alterations – which it was delightful as is – Bry mentioned substituting chicken for the cod perhaps or even largely chopped crispy bacon. Either way, it all sounds good.

P.s. I LOVED the baby corn in this! Not only because they are “mini” but they added awesome texture and a good flavor too!