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Trinidad Corn Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings (recipe)

29 September 2009 7,227 views 32 Comments

Corn Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

Corn soup is a street food favorite here in Trinidad, especially at carnival time when vendors ply large pots of it that they spoon into styrofoam cups outside of fetes and clubs. It’s also popular as a Saturday lunch. Chopped pieces of corn on the cob are often included, however in the variation I prepared below I have left them out. Feel free to add them back in though if you want the added texture :)

This post was originally published on February 14, 2007. It has been updated once since then and has been submitted to September Tasty Tools, hosted by Joelen’s Culinary Adventures.


Trinidad Corn Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings
(adapted from a recipe in the Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook)

1 14-oz tin cream style corn
1/2 cup chopped green onion or chive
1 carrot, diced finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp margarine
3 cups milk

Cornmeal Dumplings:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup – 1 cup water

1. Melt margarine, cook onions .

2. Add corn and vegetable stock.

3. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat
4. Prepare dumplings in a separate bowl by combining flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and water. Dough should be soft enough to be dropped from a spoon.

4. Add milk, carrots, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil
6. Drop in dumplings

7. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

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32 Comments »

  • Marsha said:

    Love corn soup but I never really wanted to buy it from around the Savannah though!
    At home you never quite knew what kind of soup it was because salt meat and othertypes of meat made their way in :)

    # 14 February 2007 at 12:41 am | link
  • Sarina said:

    hee :) mom makes hers hella weird :) as a result i never would buy it off the road, but once i did i was converted :D

    # 14 February 2007 at 12:49 am | link
  • T.W. Barritt said:

    I have made various recipes for corn soup, but never with dumplings. I love the idea, and it looks so easy to do!

    # 14 February 2007 at 7:43 am | link
  • veron said:

    I love corn soup. I haven’t had it with dumplings yet. You just reminded me what a wonderful meal a can of cream style corn can make. Thanks!

    # 14 February 2007 at 11:24 am | link
  • Sarina said:

    cheap, simple, yum!! :D happy v-day :D i have to get my v-day stuff posted :D whee!

    # 14 February 2007 at 11:52 am | link
  • Sarina said:

    it’s almost too easy :lol:

    # 14 February 2007 at 11:52 am | link
  • Beenzzz said:

    This looks so delicious. I must make it!

    # 14 February 2007 at 12:02 pm | link
  • Sarina said:

    it’s really simple and economical :D hee :D

    # 14 February 2007 at 4:12 pm | link
  • MeltingWok said:

    Sarina, thanks for sharing such a detailed pictorial recipe. Now I know what to do with my leftover can of cream corns, looks absolutely delicious :) So, how many “pots” did you cook this time ? *grins*

    # 15 February 2007 at 7:29 am | link
  • Sarina said:

    hehehe :) we are a small home so only one was needed :D

    # 15 February 2007 at 2:35 pm | link
  • Juliette said:

    Hey Sarina!

    I’m a convertee also! The savannah cornsoup is the best in my opinion!
    Everytime I visit Trini, it is a must stop at least 3 – 4 times before returning to the UK:-)

    The shadon beni sauce with a touch of the garlic sauce gives it that added flavour!
    My best friend and I always go for seconds but if we return to the vendor too late, it is usually sold out!

    Love corn soup! Yum Yum!

    p.s. The corn soup vendor actually asks us if we want the soup with or without dumplings!! Apparently the health conscious, request it WITHOUT dumplings!

    What good is corn soup without the dumplings!!! hehehe

    # 18 February 2007 at 4:50 pm | link
  • Sarina said:

    without dumplings? sacrilege!! :D i must go around the savannah and take some pics next time :)

    # 19 February 2007 at 11:12 am | link
  • BuddingCook said:

    i love corn and dumplings…:)

    # 19 February 2007 at 2:51 pm | link
  • Rachel said:

    That looks so good! I love chicken and dumplings which is a Southern US food. This reminds me of that with corn.

    Hope to see you at Leftover Tuesdays!

    # 25 February 2007 at 1:01 am | link
  • Sarina said:

    ooo yay! leftover tuesdays :D i’m so gonna be trying to be there :D i’m sick (pneumonia :cry: )

    # 25 February 2007 at 6:49 am | link
  • Tom said:

    Add some salted pig tails, & maaann is goood

    # 2 June 2007 at 2:11 am | link
  • Sarina (author) said:

    hehehe :) hey tom, welcome! I can’t eat pig but I’m sure it’s a flavorful addition :) Thanks for popping by!

    # 2 June 2007 at 2:14 am | link
  • marlie said:

    I love the corn soup they serve around the Savannah–they add big chuncks of corn and coconut milk to theirs–it’s soo delicious–I love your blog-

    # 22 June 2007 at 10:20 am | link
  • mokojumbie said:

    guess what i had on my last day in trinidad before moving back (sigh sigh) to canada after 5 years. cornsoup a the savannah. luv the stuff,but gotta have chadon beni. are there seeds for sale so i can palnt my own??

    # 9 September 2007 at 7:57 pm | link
  • CarnivalDiva said:

    mmmm mmmm mmmm ooh gosh that looks sooooo good!

    # 14 September 2007 at 5:45 pm | link
  • Ellane said:

    I like in the UK and want to make corn soup. But i dont remember ever seeing cream style corn in a tin. What do you recommend to use as an alternative?

    When i was last in Trinidad, my couz took me to get corn soup from a street vender near skinner park somewhere and absolutley loved it :-)

    # 27 May 2008 at 5:19 am | link
  • Alex said:

    Hey Ellane,

    Make your own cream style corn using canned or frozen corn,

    1 can corn,(strained)
    1/4 tsp salt
    3/4 tsp sugar
    1/4c cream or whipping cream
    3.4 tsp corn starch.

    Bring to a boil and thicken with corn starch.

    turns out about right.

    # 4 February 2009 at 10:34 am | link
  • thom said:

    Nice to see another corn soup recipe out there! Will have to try this one, especially since it makes a much more reasonable amount than the recipe I currently have.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love my recipe… I just don’t always need (or want) to make 12 quarts of the stuff, even if it does freeze well. Your version takes out the recipe-reducing math hassle.
    thom´s last blog ..Still not dead yet… My ComLuv Profile

    # 29 September 2009 at 10:27 am | link
  • lovable said:

    hey to mocojumbie the seed can be obtained from the plant itself if you are lucky to get the plant or purchased in aan agri shop. its tiny but will grow when dried. happy findings.
    gonna try this recipe oh i see you all talking bout corn soup round the savana, that i must try. c yah.

    # 29 September 2009 at 2:54 pm | link
  • peabody said:

    I love the idea of adding cornmeal dumplings to corn soup!
    peabody´s last blog ..It’s what’s on the inside that counts… My ComLuv Profile

    # 30 September 2009 at 3:25 pm | link
  • Chris De La Rosa said:

    Just came back from TnT.. had a wonderful corn soup experience one night “rong” the savanna. There was a vendor featured in the inflight magazine on the Caribbean airlines flight that we took down to the islands, that we happened to meet selling her soup the night we went looking for adventure/food. Though she wouldn’t share her recipe, I could tell it had some sort of salted meat added for additional flavour.

    We also purchased some in St James, that was a bit different as well. Seems everyone has their own recipe for making this popular soup.

    The best I’ve had to date is from a vendor outside “The Shade” nightclub in Bon Accord Tobago.

    Happy Cooking!

    Chris…
    Chris De La Rosa´s last blog ..Red Mango – Spicy Preserved Fruits of Trinidad and Tobago. My ComLuv Profile

    # 8 October 2009 at 7:39 am | link
  • Kerry said:

    A very nutritional dish. I am going to try it out one of these days. Thanks for sharing. http://wisejamaican.com
    Kerry´s last blog ..Overcoming Depression My ComLuv Profile

    # 19 October 2009 at 10:44 am | link
  • Jadestone said:

    Recipe looks good and sounds delicious! I will try it out this coming weekend. My Aunt makes a mean corn soup, but she does not add dumplings to it.

    # 31 January 2010 at 9:25 pm | link
  • TriniGourmet.com » Trinidad & Tobago Carnival Pt.8 – JW & Blaze “Palance” said:

    [...] I’ve previously mentioned where there’s a fete or nightclub street food is not far away.Corn soup vendorOne offering that is perenially popular with late-night partygoers is the sidewalk burger [...]

    # 11 February 2010 at 1:35 am | link
  • mary said:

    hmmn …. making this to sell this coming weekend… yum yum looks delicious….

    # 11 February 2010 at 7:55 pm | link
  • mary said:

    hmmn …. making this to sell this coming weekend… yum yum looks delicious….

    # 11 February 2010 at 7:55 pm | link
  • Fantastic Friday Is Here! « Adventures in Tralaland said:

    [...] (you know, the ones that got me all pleasantly plump last year–roti, doubles, bake and shark, corn soup, pholourie–the more fried and carby and tongue-burning spicy, the better), try to drink more [...]

    # 12 February 2010 at 9:10 pm | link

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