Tomato egg drop soup with shrimp is a delicious, healthy, simple and quick soup made with bare minimum ingredients in just 15 mins. Tomatoes add a wonderfully delicate sweet and sour taste to this soup and the shrimp goes just perfect with this blend of flavors.
This tomato egg soup is perfect for chilly days, sick days or when ever you are in the mood to enjoy a light and easy supper which gives that comforting warmth. Serve it as a light meal or as a first course to a bigger meal. This goes well with any noodle dishes, fried rice dishes or entrees.
While we are still on the topic of most comforting and simple foods, let me ask you quickly, did you try my dump and go Instant Pot Chicken Congee ( Rice Porridge) and Black Bean Soup with Baby Greens which is filled with flavor and nutrition. If you did not, you should try it right away, those two are two of my family's most favorite foods and really simple to make.
What is Egg drop soup
Egg drop soup is a Chinese soup made with beaten eggs poured in the form a thin string in to seasoned boiling broth while stirring the soup in circular motions to form a flower like strands of the egg.
What is the difference between Egg drop soup and Egg flower soup
Egg drop soup and Egg flower soup both are same. The name egg flower soup comes from the effect of egg whites blossoming into thin white lacey strands like flowers when beaten eggs are added into the boiling soup.
Is this egg tomato soup healthy?
This is a low calorie and high protein nutritious soup made in just 15 mins with very simple ingredients. Sometimes the sodium levels might be little high depending on the kind of broth you are using. I prefer using a low sodium broth either home made or store bought to keep the sodium levels in check.
Ingredients
This tomato egg soup uses bare minimum ingredients which are easily available anywhere. No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps. All it needs is a handful of very common ingredients which are mentioned below
- Oil
- Garlic, green onions
- Tomatoes ( 2 ripe tomatoes and one not so ripe )
- Salt, pepper, sugar
- chicken bone broth (home made or store bought is fine ). You can also replace it with sea food broth .
- Corn starch mixed in little water to make slurry
- Eggs
- shrimp ( defrost if using frozen, instructions given below )
- cilantro for garnishing.
Step by step directions and pictures
Let's look at the preparation needed for this soup
- Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Mince the garlic, finely chop spring onions (Scallions) and separate the white parts and green parts.
- Crack open the eggs into a bowl and slowly whisk them only until the yolk and whites are mixed well but DO NOT beat the eggs until you incorporate air into them.
- In a small bowl, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.
- If you are using frozen shrimp ( cooked or uncooked ), defrost them by placing the shrimp in bowl of cold water for 10 to 20 mins(depending on the size of shrimp). Change the cold water once in between.
Cooking directions
- Heat oil in a stock pot or any big enough pot for soup and add garlic and white parts of green onions. Sauté them for 15 to 20 secs making sure not to burn them.
- Then add tomato pieces and stir well. Cook for 3 to 4 mins until the tomato pieces are slightly soft. Don't cook them until very soft.
- Now add in the broth and bring it to a boil. While it is coming to boil, add in the sugar, pepper and a touch of salt ( don't add too much, you can always add more if you want in the end ).
- Now mix the corn starch slurry you prepared before once again, to make sure it is smooth and then add it into the soup and mix well until everything is smooth.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, while stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand, pour in the whisked egg mixture in a thin string from little high up. This gives the soup a nice lacey egg flower effect.
- After well combining the egg, add shrimp and let the soup come to a boil again. If you are using cooked shrimp, remove the soup from the heat after 2 mins of adding the shrimp. If using uncooked shrimp, it will take around 5 mins for the shrimp to cook.
- Check the seasonings, switch off the heat, Ladle the soup into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro and green parts of the scallions to serve. This soup tastes best when it is still hot (edible hot).
Tips for making the best egg drop tomato soup with shrimp
- Choose the best kind of tomatoes that you can find as they are main flavoring for this dish. Vine tomatoes work perfectly than Roma tomatoes for this recipe. Choose 2 ripe tomatoes and one not so ripe one. That way, you will get a good combination of soft tomato pieces and pieces with little bite to them.
- Don't add too much salt than required as the soup will taste more salty when it cools down.
- DO NOT beat the eggs until you incorporate air into them, just whisk until yolks and whites are well mixed.
- Shrimp over cooks very easily and it will get all rubbery and chewy once it over cooks. So make sure you remove the soup from the heat promptly as soon as the shrimp cooks and serve immediately.
Can you reheat egg drop soup
Egg drop soup is one of those soups which tastes best when made right before serving and eaten immediately. It doesn't taste the same when it is at room temperature or reheated.
However it can still be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an air tight container and reheated before eating but just might not taste the same as when made freshly.
Especially since we are adding shrimp to this soup, it is best if you made this soup right before serving for the right texture of shrimp. Since this is a very simple recipe which only takes 15 mins, it is worth spending that 15 mins right before eating for that heavenly taste.
Make and enjoy a good warm bowl of tomato and shrimp egg drop soup with your family and let me know in comments below if you have any questions or feedback.
Recipe
Tomato Egg Drop Soup with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil I used canola
- 3 to 4 eggs
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 stalks of green onions
- 3 medium-size vine tomatoes 2 ripe and 1 slightly firm if possible
- 7 cups of chicken bone broth home made or store bought
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon white or black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 cup small or medium size shrimp fresh or frozen, cooked or uncooked
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped Cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Mince the garlic, finely chop spring onions and separate the white parts and green parts.
- Crack open the eggs into a bowl and slowly whisk them only until the yolk and whites are mixed well but DO NOT beat the eggs to incorporate air into them.
- In a small bowl, combine the corn flour with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and mix until smooth.
- If you are using frozen shrimp ( cooked or uncooked ), defrost them by placing the shrimp in bowl of cold water for 10 to 20 mins(depending on the size of shrimp).
Cooking directions
- Heat oil in a stock pot or any big enough pot for soup and add garlic and white parts of green onions. Sauté them for 15 to 20 secs making sure not to burn them.
- Then add tomato pieces and stir well. Cook for 3 to 4 mins until the tomato pieces for slightly soft.
- Now add in the broth and bring it to a boil. While it is coming to boil, add in the sugar, pepper and a touch of salt ( don't add too much, you can always add more if you want in the end ).
- Now mix the corn starch slurry you prepared before, once again to make sure it is smooth and then add it into the soup and mix well until everything is smooth.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, while stirring the soup in a circular motion with one hand, pour in the whisked egg mixture in a thin string from little high up. This gives the soup a nice lacey egg flower effect.
- After well combining the egg, add shrimp and let the soup come to a boil again. If you are using cooked shrimp, remove the soup from the heat after 2 mins of adding the shrimp. If using uncooked shrimp, it will take around 5 mins for the shrimp to cook.
- Check the seasonings, switch off the heat, Ladle the soup into soup bowls and garnish with cilantro and green parts of the scallions to serve. This soup tastes best when it is still hot ( edible hot ).
Notes
- Choose best tomatoes you can get as they are the main flavoring for this soup. If you choose 2 ripe and 1 little less ripe then you will get good mixture of soft and not too soft tomato pieces while eating.
- Don't add too much salt than required as the soup will taste more salty when it cools down.
- DO NOT beat the eggs until you incorporate air into them, just whisk until yolks and whites are well mixed.
- Shrimp over cooks very easily and it will get all rubbery and chewy once it over cooks. So make sure you remove the soup from the heat promptly as soon as the shrimp cooks and serve immediately. If you are eating later, I suggest skipping the shrimp while cooking and heat up the soup before eating and add the shrimp then.
Leave a Reply