Tomato Egg Drop Soup + New Video

Love egg drop soup? For the second video in the new Appetite for China Cooking Videos series, I decided to update this post with a fun visual guide on making egg drop soup with tomatoes. Let me know what you think!

I first made tomato egg drop soup in 2008 while living in Beijing during the Summer Olympics. At the time, I was in desperate need of  something light and healthy for lunch to go with a salad, to counteract all the fried food I had been eating at the Olympic venues. And what could be more healthy and comforting at the same time than tomatoes and eggs in homemade chicken broth? Over the years I've tweaked the recipe bit by bit and come up with this revised version.

There are few ingredients in this soup, so it's important that the chicken stock (or vegetable stock) be homemade. (You can use either Chinese or Western homemade stock.) If you must use store-bought, try to find organic stock or broth that does not have too many preservatives in the label.

This soup is incredibly simple to prepare, with no special technique other than the swirling in of the egg whites to create the egg strands. It may sound intimidating, but rest assured you'll get a hang of it easily! (Just read the recipe over and familiarize yourself with Step 2 before beginning cooking.) You may soon be making egg drop soup like a pro!

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Tomato Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4

• 4 to 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium firm tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 large egg
• 1 scallion, chopped or thinly sliced for garnish

1. In a medium pot, bring the stock to boil. Stir in the ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and salt. Add tomatoes and cook for just another 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg lightly with a fork. Slowly pour the egg into the soup in a steady stream while continuously stirring with a long spoon or chopstick. The egg should cook immediately and look like long yellowish-white strands. Turn off the heat right after to prevent the eggs from overcooking.
3. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, sprinkle the scallions on top, and serve.

Updated March 5, 2013. Original recipe posted August 28, 2008.