Egg Drop Soup

As Asian Week continues, today I present you with Egg Drop Soup. I have had it many times in my life, in many restaurants, and everyone seems to have their own take on it. Some are thin and sparse and some are packed full of veggies and chicken.

I took all the things I liked from the soups in my experience and omitted what I didn't like. (such as mushrooms). The stuff you have in restaurants that is the vibrant yellow color is due to Food Dye, this is what it looks like without the dye.

It isn't necessarily pretty, but it tastes damn good! Starting with home made stock really helps develop the flavor.

8 cups of homemade stock if you have it, otherwise use low sodium chicken broth

1 chicken breast (I used 4 tenders)

frozen peas, as much as you like

frozen corn, as much as you like

1 can of water chestnuts chopped

chives or green onions to garnish

2 eggs

2 tbl corn starch

1/2 tsp White pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Low sodium Soy Sauce

Fresh Green Beans, a handful, ends removed and diced

Pan spray and salt and pepper your chicken; then bake it on a non stick pan for about 20 minutes at 350, remove to cool

In the meantime place your stock into a medium soup pot, and add your salt, pepper and ginger as well as the soy sauce

Add in your frozen vegetables, water chestnuts and your fresh green beans, let simmer, taste in 10 minutes or so and adjust the seasonings to your liking, adding more if necessary

Slice your chicken into thin medallions, place into your simmering soup

To thicken your soup, remove 1/8 of a cup of broth or so and place into a small bowl, add the corn starch and mix until well blended, then pour into your soup and continue stirring as it thickens. If you want a really thick soup, do this twice.

I read about the following trick regarding the best way to add the beaten egg to the soup, and it worked like a charm....

Beat your eggs well, stir stir stir the soup until it gets flowing around the pot, then quickly pour your beaten eggs thru the tines of a fork. I had to do it in 3 rounds to keep the soup moving so the eggs didn't get bunched together and look like scrambled eggs.

Serve with chives or green onions, I also add additional soy sauce

***My food reviewer indicated the soup was a bit on the thin side, so next time I shall add more of everything and thicken it a bit more**