Cut and dice the chicken breast (3 oz) into small pieces.

In my dad's soup, the chicken is so tiny and tender that I forget he even adds it.

Once diced, place the chicken into a small bowl for mixing. Add the cornstarch (1 tsp), salt (0.50 tsp), and water (1 tbsp).

Stir well until the chicken has fully absorbed the ingredients, readying it for its tender, delicious destiny.

Pour the unsweetened corn kernels (8 oz) and an equal amount of water (8 oz) into a blender.

Blend until the corn turns into a finely mixed puree (about 15-30 seconds).

Cut length-wise slices of carrot. Then, cut the slices into stripes, and the stripes into tiny cubes.

Carrots give the soup a hint of sweetness, a dash of color, and in my adorable mom's words, it "makes the soup look very, very beautiful!"

(If garnishing with cilantro (0.50 cup), chop it up while you have the cutting board out.)

Create the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch (6 tsp) and water (2 tbsp) in a bowl, and stir until the cornstarch has completely dissolved.

Cornstarch is one of my dad's cornerstone ingredients. In this case, he's using it to thicken the soup.

Once that's done, crack your egg into a bowl, and beat it up with your utensil of choice (my dad uses chopsticks.)

Set a large pot on your stovetop, and set to the highest heat. Pour water (4 cup), and cover to bring to a boil.

Once the water has started to boil, add the corn puree and carrots into the pot. Stir the newly added ingredients.

When it comes back to a boil, you'll slowly and individually add your cornstarch slurry, chicken, and egg to the soup.

My dad is very deliberate about this step, making sure that each ingredient is added slowly, with constant stirring.

Slowly add the cornstarch mix, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the chicken, stirring constantly. Done properly, none of the chicken pieces should be allowed to clump up.

Wait for the soup to boil again to give the chicken some time to cook.

Once boiling, slowly add the egg in 2-3 batches, stirring constantly. Done properly, the egg should "flower", forming soft little sinews and strands within the soup.

Continue stirring for a few seconds after all of the ingredients have been added.

To give the soup that extra umph and umami flavor, add salt (1 tsp), chicken powder (0.50 tsp), white pepper (1 tsp), and sesame oil (0.25 tsp).

This part is pretty flexible, and you can experiment with your own additions or changes.

Side note: While I'm personally the kind of amateur cook who loves following ingredients to a T, my dad cooks with the free spirit of a chef who's been at it for 50 years.

For good measure, stir the pot a few times.

For major holidays (like Chinese New Year) and family gatherings, my dad does one of two things:

• He pours this soup into a large bowl to be placed next to a plethora of other tasty food.
• He tasks someone (i.e. me) to distribute the soup into small soup bowls for our relatives to enjoy as an appetizer.

Mostly for visual appeal, my parents like to garnish their creations with chopped cilantro. Totally optional.