Add this quick and colorful tomato egg drop soup to your homemade Chinese takeout night menu! The aromatics and tomatoes are sauteed to release the fragrance, then cooked with egg ribbons in chicken broth with nutty sesame oil to finish it up. It is comforting and delicious and will warm your heart on a chilly day. {Gluten-Free, Vegetarian-Adaptable} Today I want to share this quick and easy family recipe with you. This tomato egg drop soup has been a family staple of ours for as long as I can remember. My mom would make a small pot every couple of days to add a soup course to our dinner. As you might have heard regarding food in the Chinese home, it’s important to serve 3 dishes and 1 soup (三菜一汤, San Cai Yi Tang) for a complete meal. Instead of the traditional egg drop soup, my mom always prefers the tomato egg drop soup because it adds more nutrients to our meal. If you like egg drop soup, you must try out this version! The bright tomato flavor works so well with the tender eggs and the hearty chicken soup, and it takes the soup to another level.
Ingredients
You probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. Since the soup is lightly seasoned and the egg is the main star, it’s important to use high quality eggs. I love to use Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs for my everyday cooking. Their eggs are high in quality and very flavorful and they have beautiful bright orange yolks. There are no GMOs, antibiotics, chemicals, or pesticides involved in their organic egg farming. The hens aren’t cooped up in cages, either. You can truly taste the difference when you use their eggs in your tomato egg drop soup.
Cooking process
Whenever my mom is feeling lazy, she will simply bring a pot of broth to a boil and cook the ingredients in the broth. However, here is how to make the best tasting soup with just one extra step – sauteing the aromatics and the tomatoes before you add the broth:
How to make beautiful egg ribbons
To make long, thin egg ribbons like in the restaurant, you need to:
Make vegetarian tomato egg drop soup
To make this dish vegetarian, you can use 4 cups of water plus 2 teaspoons of mushroom powder to make the broth. Vegetable broth works too but it will change the flavor of the soup depending on the brand you use.
Final thoughts
Tomato egg drop soup is a great dish to pair with other main courses to make a complete Chinese dinner. For example, my mom would make braised chicken or pork ribs in advance and reheat it before serving. For dinner, she’d cook quick sides like fried cabbage and cucumber salad to go with this tomato egg drop soup, with rice on the side. Here are some more good dishes to pair the tomato egg drop soup with:
Beef Lo MeinEasy Shrimp and BroccoliReal Deal Sesame NoodlesVegetarian Mapo TofuChinese Curry Chicken
