Tomato Egg Drop Soup

sadaf

I once read a joke that said ” Heaven is : An American salary, A British home, A German car, Chinese food and An Indian wife”. I’m not sure whether all Indian men will totally agree with the Indian wife bit but regardless of gender we all will agree that Chinese food seems to have taken the world by storm. India is no exception to this. Amidst the tremendous variety of regional cuisines, Chinese food has managed to find a place of it’s own in India.  In fact, we Indians have gone a step further by coming up with an entirely new form of fusion cuisine popularly known as “Indo-Chinese” cuisine to suit local tastes, preferences and available ingredients.

Indo Chinese food is not limited to swanky restaurants in India . It can be enjoyed at even roadside joints or college canteens. Even in US and Canada I come across several restaurants catering Indo – Chinese food.
This form of cuisine is believed to be influenced greatly by the vast Chinese population in Kolkata, mostly of Hakka origin. I remember my Mom bringing back bottles of locally produced chilly sauce, soy sauce and even “chinese” rice during our yearly visits to our grandparents in Kolkata because they were more “authentic” than the ones available in my hometown Kanpur.
This Tomato Egg Drop Soup recipe is one of the popular Chinese dishes that have been “Indianised” and can be made really quickly with simple ingredients available in every Indian pantry. This soup has a slightly chunky texture since the tomatoes are chopped rather than pureed. I find that it’s best to chop the onions and tomatoes in a chopper or food processor rather than by hand. That way they are chopped very finely and some of the tomato bits are pureed.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes, finely chopped – 4
Eggs: 1 or 2
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Garlic, finely chopped – 2 teaspoons
Ginger,finely chopped – 2 teaspoons
Onion, finely chopped – 1/2 medium
Tomato ketchup – 2-3 tablespoons
Salt – according to taste
White pepper powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar – 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Vegetable stock/chicken stock/water – 4 cups
Cornflour – 2 tablespoons
White vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Green onions/cilantro leaves, finely chopped –  2 tablespoons

Method:
1) Heat oil in a wok. Saute the chopped garlic till golden. Add the ginger and onion and continue to saute.
2) Add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute for two minutes . Add the ketchup, salt,white pepper and sugar. Remember that the ketchup and stock also contain salt (especially if you are using store bought stock), so add salt accordingly. Cook till the tomatoes are soft and pulpy.
4) Add the stock/water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5) Dissolve the cornflour in about a quarter cup of water and add to the soup, stirring well. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes till the soup is a bit thick.
6) Beat the eggs in a bowl and drop into the soup from a height in a thin stream. Cook briefly till the egg coagulates.
7) Add green onions/cilantro and stir. Serve the soup piping hot.

I’m linking this to Any One Can Cook Series 43 hosted by Taste Of Pearl City and MidWeek Fiesta – 19 hosted by Food Corner.

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14 comments on “Tomato Egg Drop Soup”

  5. Truth to tell I prefer Indo Chinese more than Chinese 🙂 Awesome soup,this is my dad’s staple starter whenever we drag him to a Chinese restaurant…

  8. Looks delicious!!I have tasted this type of soup but havent tried my own…Thanks for sharing this recipe with Midweek Fiesta…

  11. Hahaha! I too have came across that joke long time back, I don’t agree with that joke anyway. Soup and your pictures looks really great. Thank you for linking with Any One Can Cook 🙂

  13. I have been meaning to cook this Soup for so long now, your post hit me even harder for forgetting ..

    looks quite flavour ful and inviting pics..

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