Sunchoke Soup with Seared Scallops

For the soup:
In a soup pot, cook the sunchokes and potatoes with the milk, cream, chicken paste and water until tender. This will take 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

Blend the soup mixture in batches. If using a traditional blender remove the middle-nob so the steam can escape and cover with a kitchen towel so you will not burn yourself on soup splatters. Puree until smooth. Season the soup with salt and white pepper. Keep the soup hot while you sear the scallops.

For the sunchoke chips:
While the soup is cooking… Brush the whole sunchokes clean. Slice the sunchokes very thinly and put them into a bowl of ice water. Heat half of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Pat 3-5 slices dry, put them into the pan and fry them in the hot oil until they turn golden. Remove them from the pan using a spatula and let excess oil drip off on some paper towels. Repeat wtih the rest of the sunchokes. Sprinkle with salt.

For the scallops:
Heat the other half of the oil in a skillet on high heat. Then add the scallops in a single layer. Fry the scallops on high heat until golden on both sides. Just before removing scallops from the skillet, season them with salt and white pepper.

Pour the soup into a serving size bowl. Top the soup with 1-2 scallops, some sunchokes and the rest of the toppings. Enjoy.