Corn soup is a popular street food with the partygoers in Trinidad, especially after a night of feteing and palancing, as we say in Trinidad. But I can’t attest to that because I grew up in a strict household, so there was none of that for me.
This Soup is a hearty and flavorful dish truly loved by many on our twin island Republic. Today, I set out to create the most delicious pot of Trinidad corn soup with tender, sweet, fresh corn from the garden and local corn from the farmer’s market, cream-style corn from scratch, a medley of vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, and potatoes, and finished it with chewy flour dumplings. It’s a comforting treat for the taste buds.
The luscious broth, seasoned with herbs and spices like thyme and scallion(green seasoning), adds a rich depth of flavor.
Served piping hot, it’s perfect for warming up on cool evenings or satisfying hunger cravings any time of the day. Whether enjoyed as a quick snack or a filling meal, Trinidad Corn Soup is sure to leave you feeling satisfied and content.
I guarantee you and your family will love this body & soul-satisfying soup!
WHERE TO BUY CORN SOUP IN TRINIDAD?
In Trinidad, this delicious corn soup is sold at various places, particularly in street food stalls and local restaurants. During certain times of the year, especially during Carnival or cultural events like Diwali Nagar in Chaguanas, you will find vendors selling corn soup in stalls or along busy streets.
For late-night party goers or food adventure seekers, there are many food vendors around Queens Park Savannah. If you’re looking for a specific recommendation or location, asking locals or checking online food guides and reviews can help you find the best spots to buy corn soup in Trinidad.
Make Corn Soup in a Few Easy Steps:
- Make dhal stock (split peas)
- Cook aromatics and add veggies
- Add stock, coconut milk, cream-style corn
- Stir in corn, seasonings, hot water
- Make dumplings and add them to the pot
- Simmer, final seasoning, and serve hot!
Other recipes you will love:
Coconut Steamed Salmon and Corn Dumplings
TRINIDAD CORN SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried split peas rinsed and drained
- 8 cups water
- 1 pound bone–in meat of your choice optional (or use stock or concentrated bone broth)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 whole hot pepper. Chopped
- 6 tbs green seasoning
- 1 lb sweet potato 1 large
- ½ lb potato 1 large
- ¾ lb pumpkin cubed
- 1 medium carrot 8 oz, 1 cup chopped
- Cream style corn 15 oz (canned or homemade)
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 tbs all-purpose seasoning 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 whole corn sliced into rounds each about 1 inch
- 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels about 2 ears of fresh corn shaved
- 5 tsp Himalayan salt or to taste
Flour Dumplings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- ¾ cup water to knead
For finishing
- 4 bandhania
- ¼ cup chopped celery leaves
- 2 pimento peppers chopped
Instructions
- To make split peas stock, add water to a stock pot over medium heat, pour in washed split peas and whatever meat if using. Boil until meat is cooked and dhal is a smooth consistency. Can be made ahead. If using salted meat, rinse off the salt and boil under cooked but still firm. You may need to repeat if it is still salty. Once done you can add it to the split peas or add in step 4 below.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and hot pepper and cook for 1 minute until translucent.
- Stir in 4 tbs green seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
- Add cubed potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrot, pumpkin and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 7-10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked but firm.
- Add dhal stock, coconut milk and cream style corn. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- Stir in whole chopped corn and corn kernels, ½ finishing herbs, 2 tbs green seasoning, thyme, hot pepper, all-purpose seasoning, about 4 cups of hot water(or more or less according to your preference) and salt if required. Raise heat to high to bring to a boil, then immediately reduce it to low and simmer while you quickly prepare the dumplings (or make ahead).
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbs sugar and mix to combine. Gradually add water and knead to form a firm dough, about 3 minutes. Shape dumplings and add to the pot. Wait 1 minute, then stir to combine. Add more water or stock if too thick, finishing herbs and salt, if required.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes more.
Thank you for the great recipes. How should I adjust your corn soup recipe for making it in the pressure pot or slow cooker
Thanks, Ria. This recipe was a hit! I always told myself I don’t know how to make soup and with this recipe people absolutely loved it.
Just a few questions:
– How much water did you use to make the Dahl? I used all 8 cups for the split peas and then later I wasn’t sure how much water or extra hot water was needed.?
– What kind of hot pepper did you cut up with the onion? I noticed that there was a whole pepper in your pot… Just wondering as putting a very hot pepper with the onions made the soup extremely spicy… Still delicious but had a whole lot of kick! But I am wondering if next time I should just put the whole pepper in the pot .
Hi Dawn: Thanks for stopping by! The recipe states 8 cups–if ever the liquid is not enough at any time(in that or in a soup), always feel free to add more. Very flexible in that sense. As for the hot pepper, also add per your family’s tolerance despite what you see on my videos. Sometimes I can overdo it with the pepper since I love the spiciness. However, the good news is that hot pepper can always be controlled. Skip the chopped hot pepper, remove the seeds, or use pimento(Caribbean seasoning pepper as you know), or add the whole hot pepper but be careful it does not burst—or just eliminate hot peppers entirely! Sending love to all.
Cool thanks!! I personally liked it hot! 🥵 I just wanted to make sure ! Thanks for always brining Trinidadian/Caribbean culture and cuisine to the world!! 🇹🇹
Oh ok. My pleasure! Look forward to seeing more comments from you. 🙂
Ria
This was super tasty! EXCELLENT!!!
But …after 2 hours my split peas were still not soft….was told that I should have soaked them overnight and boiled with some grated ginger to ease intestinal distress? Was also recommended red split peas? What do you think?
So glad you enjoyed it—thank you! 😊
For the split peas, they usually don’t need soaking, but if they’re older they can take much longer to soften. That’s likely what happened here. You can soak them for a few hours or overnight if you want to speed things up.
Adding a little grated ginger is a great tip—it can help with digestion and adds nice flavor too–as long as you like that flavor in your soup.
Red split peas will cook much faster and break down more easily, but they’ll give you a softer, more dhal-like texture. If you prefer a bit more body in the soup, stick with yellow split peas—just make sure they’re fresh.
Next time, you can also bring them to a boil first and let them cook until tender before adding the rest of your ingredients—that helps keep everything on track.
And don’t forget—you can swizzle it the old-fashioned way with a swizzle stick to help break down the split peas, or use an immersion blender at the end if you want it smooth and creamy.