Simple Egg Drop Soup

Egg drop soup will forever be something I associate with my mother. No, my mom wasn't Chinese, but when other kids would have asked their moms to make them some chicken noodle soup when they were sick, I asked mine to make egg drop soup. As soon as I was old enough to use the stove by myself, I asked her to show me how to make it.

Sometimes the soup you get at Chinese restaurants can be really thick--it can seem like they're aiming to make egg drop soup-flavored jelly--and that sometimes grosses me out a bit. This soup is nothing like that. I don't know how the restaurants make theirs, and I don't care; my mom's recipe is the only one I need. It's simple. It's quick. It's tasty. Eat a bowl by itself for lunch, or have some on the side of your favorite Chinese food for dinner. (Maybe with some chicken fried rice?) I always use water and chicken bouillon cubes to make it because that's what I normally have on hand, but you could easily replace that with canned chicken broth or, even better, homemade chicken stock, if you have some on hand. You can get fancy and add black pepper, green onions, other veggies, or those fried egg noodle strips that they always serve when you order it at restaurants, but I like it just like it is, straightforward and awesome.

I will warn you though--this recipe doesn't quite result in those silky smooth ribbons of egg that you get at restaurants. The eggs come out more like little puffs, but I love it this way. In case you haven't figured it out by now, if you're looking for restaurant-style egg drop soup, you should look elsewhere. If you don't care that much, give this one a try.


Ingredients

2 c water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 eggs


Directions

Add water and chicken bouillon cubes to a small pot. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring to ensure that bouillon is completely dissolved. Whisk eggs vigorously in a bowl. Stir water rapidly to create a swirling vortex in the pot, and steadily drizzle in the eggs. Remove pot from heat, and serve soup immediately.


Servings: 2