Cucumber Egg Drop Soup
This is a great way to dress up egg drop soup I found the idea and combined it with my egg drop soup recipe in hopes the cucumber would help cool a fever from the flu This was the first real food he had eaten in three days and I feel it worked as intended Chicken tempeh and shrimp can all be added to this soup paired and separately only chicken or tempeh should be used to help flavour the stock shrimp should just be added in the last five minutes of the recipe Chicken and tempeh can be substituted and treated almost exactly the same way When boiling the chicken in this recipe adjust time for the amount of chicken
This is a great way to dress up egg drop soup I found the idea and combined it with my egg drop soup recipe in hopes the cucumber would help cool a fever from the flu This was the first real food he had eaten in three days and I feel it worked as intended Chicken tempeh and shrimp can all be added to this soup paired and separately only chicken or tempeh should be used to help flavour the stock shrimp should just be added in the last five minutes of the recipe Chicken and tempeh can be substituted and treated almost exactly the same way When boiling the chicken in this recipe adjust time for the amount of chicken
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 green onions
- 1 large cucumber peeled
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tbsp sherry or rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp bragg's amino acid
- 1 large chicken breast or one sheet of tempeh
- handful almonds
- Carbohydrate 26.5574706255871 g
- Cholesterol 87.095 mg
- Fat 5.68116500000032 g
- Fiber 2.21519372964484 g
- Protein 17.6444943750017 g
- Saturated Fat 0.883659625000058 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1605g)
- Sodium 5548.39221875006 mg
- Sugar 24.3422768959423 g
- Trans Fat 0.7201125 g
- Calories 224 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash, peel and shred cucumber with cheese grater, set in strainer to drain excess liquid, set aside
- Slice green onions, set aside
- Chop onion, set aside
- In a cup, stir Tbsp of water into cornstarch until dissolved, set aside
- In another cup, beat egg well, add Tbsp of water, beat again, set aside
- Combine spices and bay leaf in a small bowl, set aside
- Combine vinegar or sherry and Braggs/soy sauce, set aside
- Bring stock to a boil with spices, bay leaf, vinegar, Braggs/soy sauce and chopped onion. Add chicken breast or tempeh to boiling water and cook in a rapid simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken/tempeh when cooked through and strain broth of onion and return it to the pot. Rinse chicken/tempeh until cool enough to handle, shred and set aside.
- Bring broth back to a boil. Briefly re-stir cornstarch mixture and add to broth, simmer for 1 minute.
- Add cucumber, chicken/tempeh (I also added some frozen shrimp at this point). Return to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes.
- Briefly stir egg and water again. Remove soup from heat and very slowly drizzle in egg, stirring soup the whole time.
- Server in bowls or cups, dress with green onions and almond slivers.
Ribbons of pale egg float suspended within a clear, gently seasoned broth alongside tender shreds of mild cucumber. This preparation diverges from standard Chinese restaurant styles by incorporating grated cucumber and aromatic spices directly into the poaching liquid before thickening.
Achieving the correct texture requires strict attention to starch control. Cornstarch must be thoroughly dissolved in cold water and boiled for a full minute to eliminate the chalky taste of raw starch before the egg is introduced. Adding the slurry too late or boiling it insufficiently leaves the soup thin and cloudy.
Temperature management during the final stage dictates success. The pot must be removed entirely from the heat source before the beaten egg is drizzled in very slowly while stirring. Introducing the egg to a rolling boil results in hard, curdled fragments rather than delicate, feathery strands.
Modifying the protein base remains straightforward. Chicken breast and tempeh absorb the foundational flavors of the broth identically during the initial ten-minute simmer and can be substituted at a one-to-one ratio based on preference.
