Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup, No Added Refined Sugar

Method

1. Wash the vegetables. Scrubbed well with a clean cloth, the potatoes need no peeling.
2. Cut 3 potatoes of about 250g into 8 to 10 pieces, cut 1 carrot into bite sized pieces, strip the kernels from 1 ear of sweet corn, cut 2 king oyster mushrooms into large pieces, and dice 4 slices of steamed shoulder ham.
3. Melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, about 45g, in a small pan, add 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour and stir until the flour has fully disappeared, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour in 200g of oat milk slowly, stirring so the milk works into the flour, and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until the flour is fully cooked, then take it off the heat.
5. Cut 2 slices of bacon small, put them in a pot with no added oil and stir over low heat until the fat renders and the meat is golden, crisp and reddish brown, then lift it into a bowl to scatter on later.
6. Using the rendered bacon fat in the pot, add the potato, carrot, sweet corn and king oyster mushroom and cook them briefly.
7. Pour in 300g of water, add the ham, cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, which is when a chopstick passes through a piece of potato.
8. Stir the cooked flour and milk sauce into the pot and simmer over low heat until the soup thickens.
9. Taste and adjust, take it off the heat, ladle into bowls and scatter over the bacon and plenty of pepper.

Tips

• Pouring the milk very slowly into the pan of flour while stirring without pause is what makes the soup smooth.
• King oyster mushroom swaps for button or fresh shiitake, whichever the market has.
• Steamed shoulder ham stands in for ordinary ham or diced sausage.
• With only salted butter on hand, the added salt comes down to keep the balance.