Tomato Egg Drop Soup Is Exactly What It Sounds Like

As the days get colder and the nights come earlier, you might find yourself wanting to eat soup seven nights a week. If so, you will need a few different soups in your rotation. Perhaps you already have an egg drop soup recipe in your arsenal: that light-yet-satisfying staple of American Chinese restaurants that's as comforting as a bowl of chicken soup. While many people associate soup with the winter season, certain soups are made just for summer, and eating these soups in the depths of winter can evoke pleasant memories of balmier weather. One such soup is tomato egg drop soup, a soup which is extremely popular in the summer in China due to the abundance of fresh, in-season tomatoes. Similar to the more familiar egg drop soup, tomato egg drop soup is made by dropping whisked eggs into simmering chicken and tomato stock to create lovely floating strands of cooked egg.

Tomato egg drop soup uses simple ingredients and can be thrown together for a quick and delicious weeknight meal. Both varieties of egg drop soup rely on ginger and soy sauce for flavor. Both versions of the soup are thickened by cornstarch, which is whisked with water and gradually added to the soup. To create the strands, eggs are drizzled into swirling hot broth. Scallions are a common garnish, and the soup can easily be amped up with the addition of tofu or chicken, bok choy, or veggies. 

Tomato egg drop soup can be served hot, warm, or even at room temperature, depending on your preference, making it suitable for any season of the year. If you live in an area where you can't get fresh ripe tomatoes, or you have a craving for a bright summery soup to chase the winter blues away, canned tomatoes can be substituted. Whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes would all work well and mimic the flavor and acidity of fresh tomatoes. Since crushed tomatoes are already broken down, they will yield a smoother soup texture.

Traditional egg drop soup can be quite salty, so the acidity from tomatoes serves as a welcome reprieve. This thin and simple soup can be enjoyed on its own, though some people like to add noodles or serve it alongside rice for a heartier meal. For those who want a completely vegetarian version of egg drop soup, chicken stock could be swapped for vegetable stock or even water. For a more substantial meal, you could try a similarly comforting and nostalgic dish found in many a Chinese home: stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, which is basically a less-brothy version of the soup, served with rice and a tart gingery sauce. The combination of eggs and tomatoes is a worldwide favorite, and this flavorful and satisfying soup is a clear example of why this is so.