Egg drop soup

LEAH’S NOTEBOOK:

*PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SKIP MY MUSINGS AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE.

Hello. friends! Happy December! Hope you are enjoying the coziness of this season. It is cold here in the Bay Area! We are in the low 30s and just two and half hours away on the boundaries of California and Nevada, snow is heavily falling! It has also been raining and storming in the San Francisco Bay Area which we very much need in fighting the drought.

Life on my end has been very busy. I went to Santiago de Cali, Colombia last October until early November for a week. This was where I celebrated Halloween among new friends. It was an unexpected last minute work trip that turned out to be really wonderful and exciting despite being fraught with anxieties after not traveling for over 2 years and traveling by myself internationally (although I have taken solo international trips when I was much younger). In the end, I met wonderful people whom I now consider as friends of my heart in the short week that we spent together. I might not see them again but their passion filled my heart with inspiration and awe. Colombians are very friendly people, the food was delicious and Santiago de Cali was a fun place most especially for those who love salsa dancing as Cali is South America’s capital of salsa. Sadly, I do not know how to dance nor do I know how to speak Spanish (un poquito!) but surprisingly, I got by! My goal for next year is do a travel post of my trip in Colombia.

Lastly, I hope that you and yours are remaining healthy. It is also the season of tridemic. I have been out sick at home since Saturday a week ago due to chills, high fever, cough — all the good stuff! I am definitely much better. I tested negative for Covid and flu (but later tested positive strep infection). I hope to return to work before the end of the week. I am trying to focus on self-care by giving myself some more time to recover. I am definitely on the mend!

May you have a kind, healthy, blessed and joyous holiday season ahead!

Egg Drop Soup

If you ever find yourself up to your neck with holiday activities and festivities, or (hopefully not!), fighting off a yucky bug, Egg Drop Soup is such an easy, quick and comforting meal. Mostly likely, you already have the ingredients in your pantry! It only takes about less than 15 minutes to make. It beats having it delivered or going for takeout! And you can be assured that it is MSG-free (unless you like or do not mind MSG in your food. I do not like MSG at all!).

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups chicken broth or stock (store brought or homemade)
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• a pinch of sugar, white pepper and salt
• 3 eggs
• Cornstarch slurry — 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup water
• Sliced green onions for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring the chicken stock or broth to a simmer in a medium pot. Stir in the sesame oil, salt, sugar and white pepper. Adjust the seasonings if needed after a quick taste.
2. Next add the cornstarch slurry. Stir the soup at the same time that you are drizzling in the slurry/mixture in order to avoid clumps of cornstarch.
3. Lightly beat the eggs. Use a spoon or ladle to stir the soup in a circular motion (just like when you added the cornstarch slurry). Slowly drizzle the egg in the hot soup until you have used up all the eggs. (It is fun to see egg swirls forming while doing this!)
4. Get a big bowl, ladle in the soup and enjoy while in your warm comfortable pajamas and fluffy socks! (Top the soup with green onions if using.)

MY NOTES

1. You may also add corn and sliced shiitake mushrooms to the soup to make it more substantial. I added the corn and mushrooms to the broth, brought it to a gentle boil them reduced to simmer. Then I proceeded with adding the cornstarch slurry and eggs.
2. I made this soup 3 times and found out that the size of the egg swirls depends on how fast I stirred the broth when adding the eggs. Slowly stirring formed small egg swirls (like the ones at Chinese restaurants) while stirring fast produced large or chunkier egg swirls. The size of the swirls is really just a matter of personal preference.
3. If you want more vivid yellow color of the soup just like the ones you get at Chinese restaurants, a pinch of turmeric or yellow food coloring can be added to the broth. I did not add any on mine, hence, the pale color but as equally delicious!

Did you make EGG DROP SOUP? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.