Easy Egg Drop Soup

Asian dishes are in my top 5 favorite cuisines. There is no food like the food you grew up eating however, asian food has a special place in my heart. I love asian food. from something simple like Egg Drop Soup to things like braised fish. The flavor profile of their cuisine are just out of this world. I love making this at home because it is so simple to make. You can always pick up any product you need at a local asian market or online. I do this all the time as I make it on a regular basis in my house.

The reason I love making asian cuisines at home is not only because they are delicious and easy to make but, they are very healthy. Their carb to veggie intake is unlike any other. They limit their carbs to rice or noodles, have tons of brilliantly prepared vegetables along with an assortment of fermented foods. We all know that balance is key to any lifestyle. They treat themselves with beautiful desserts or treats. With spending all week with delicious meals 3 times a day and dessert once a week (or if you are living on the edge twice a week). They drink healthy drinks like green tea or water and limit their soda intake to a treat standard. It is all about balance.

I make Egg Drop Soup a lot in our home simply because it is filling and you can dress it up however you like. I will leave some add ins at the end of the recipe so you can add what you like. Let’s get the basic down first. Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

4 to 6 cups of chicken broth ( depending on how thick you like your soup)
1 tbsp rice cooking wine (if you can not find this, check online or use white wine)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
pepper to taste ( I use 1/2 tsp)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 eggs – beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add your chicken broth. Bring to a hard simmer. Add your rice cooking wine, salt, pepper, and sugar. let cook 1 min. If the water begins to boil, turn down your heat to med/low.
2. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water and stir together. Carefully add to the broth and stir. Let cook about 3 to 5 minutes. Let this thicken. At this point you can add in more water to thin it out if you want it more thin or you can leave it a bit thicker at 4 cups broth. It all depends on how you like it.
3. In a measuring cup (something with a pour spout) go ahead and beat the eggs. Turn the heat off of the broth mixture. Slowly and in a steady stream pour in your beaten eggs in one singular direction. This will help build those lovely egg ribbons. Once you have poured in all of your beaten eggs let the mixture sit for 1 minute with out touching or stirring. DO NOT STIR.
4. After you let your mixture sit for 1 minute turn your heat back on to medium and let the mixture come back to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Gently stir the mixture about 5 to 7 times around the pan. This will help keep the egg ribbons and keep them from breaking into those extra small bits. We don’t want that. We want beautiful ribbons. Turn off the heat and carefully check your seasoning. Be careful because it is super hot. Add more salt and pepper if you like. Now you are ready to serve.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Green Onions / Scallions
Crispy Fried Wontons
Udon Noodles
Parsley
Cilantro

ADD INS:

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 zucchini – thinly sliced and cut into matchstick size
1 carrot – thinly sliced and cut into matchstick size
1 bundle of Bok Choy – whole or diced
1 c. Mushrooms of choice – thinly sliced
1/2 onion – thinly sliced
1 red chili – thinly sliced and if you want it seeded just take out the seeds you can also use dried chili peppers also

• If you are using a hard vegetable like onion, carrot, zucchini, chili pepper, bok choy, or mushrooms then add them to the beginning of the cooking process before you add the broth. Add 1 tbsp of flavorless oil to the pan and cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just soft. Remove from the pan and continue with #1. Add the vegetables back in when you plate so you do not tare the egg ribbons.
• If you are using udon noodles cook according to package directions and add a bowl. Set aside until you are done with the soup and ladle the soup over the noodles and top with your choice of cooked vegetables ( above)
• If you are adding lemon juice to your soup, add the lemon juice at the same time you add your broth so the flavor of the lemon can incorporate with the other ingredients.
• You want your broth to be as clear or near clear as possible. If any foam rises to the top from the cooking process or from your broth just skim it off with a skimmer or spoon.
• Just remember: This is a simple dish. It is delicious on it own but extraordinary paired with other ingredients. Keep it simple. If you add any noodles or vegetables just remember cook first and add later. Add noodles to a bowl and ladle over the soup then add in your cooked vegetables on top. Color is order of placement. Do not add like colors next to each other, think color wheel when adding vegetables. Have fun with this dish and make it your own.
  

Enjoy!