Corn & Pepper Chowder

This is a great way to use up the last end of season corn and peppers, and a nice example of Nikkei comfort food. My dad is Japanese American and my mom is from small town PA, so at home growing up, this is sort of what comfort food would look like: a classic American dish like corn chowder, but adapted to other ingredients we may have around - and almost always served with rice!

By using cooked rice to thicken instead of cream and roux, this dish is surprisingly light, and little easier on lactose-sensitive individuals. Good olive oil can be substituted for the butter to make it vegan, but it will lose more of its classic chowder flavor. Over the winter, this is also a nice way to utilize canned peppers and corn in your pantry, and pickled peppers can be a great substitute for the chili oil garnish.

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn, cut off cob

1 cup seeded, sliced green peppers

5 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1/2 cup sake

1/2 an onion, diced

4 Tbsp butter

1 qt chicken, fish or vegetable stock (or water)

1/4 bunch of parsley, picked (or celery tops)

1/2 tsp yuzu kosho (or salted Meyer lemon zest and black pepper)

1/2 cup steamed white rice, plus more for serving

Salt

Chili oil (optional)

1. Cook a few cups of white rice.

2. In a medium sauce pot, sauté onions and peppers over medium heat with a little butter and salt until soft. Then add in the garlic, corn, and a little more butter. Raise heat to high, stirring constantly until the garlic is aromatic and the corn is vibrant. Add in the sake and continue stirring until the sake has lost its alcohol smell, about 2 minutes. Add in the stock, and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low.

2. In a blender, add 1/2 cup of cooked rice, the remaining butter, the picked parsley, and the yuzu kosho. On top, add 2 cups of the corn soup. Blend at high speed until smooth, then stir back into the corn soup to thicken.

3. To serve, make a small bed of rice in the bottoms of a bowl and top with chowder and a swirl of chili oil.

Alex Dakers

Chef / Owner, Yabai Nikkei