This Tomato Egg Drop Soup uses just a handful of affordable ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Ready in 15 minutes, this light and tasty dish is a great addition to a hassle-free meal.
What is Tomato Egg Drop Soup
Tomato Egg Drop Soup is a dish with tomato-based broth and egg swirls made by pouring beaten eggs into the soup while stirring. It is very quick and easy to make, and you can serve it with rice, a main dish and a vegetable dish for a complete family meal.
The version I’m sharing today is the classic Vietnamese version. Egg drop soup is also popular in Chinese cuisine, but the Vietnamese version has some differences. Vietnamese egg drop soup doesn’t have a thick consistency and it is usually flavored with tomatoes and fish sauce.
The Vietnamese name of this soup is “canh trung ca chua“. It is in the daily meal rotation of many busy families and college students or young adults who just move out. You can watch how easy it is to make the soup in the video below.
Recipe Video
Egg Drop Soup Ingredients
To cook this soup, you will need eggs, tomatoes and chicken broth (or you can use plain water). To enhance the taste of the soup, you will also need fish sauce, black pepper, a lot of shallots and cilantro and scallions.
When I don’t have chicken or vegetable broth on hand, I will just make this soup with plain water or add some dried shrimps and simmer together with tomatoes to make the soup base.
If you want to keep this soup vegetarian, you can replace fish sauce with salt and soy sauce.
Step-by-step Instructions
1️⃣ Sauté shallots and tomatoes
The first step is sautéing shallots and tomatoes. This step is especially important if you are going to make the soup with plain water instead of broth. It will help deepen the flavors of the soup.
2️⃣ Simmer the soup before adding the eggs
Add water (or broth) and simmer for several minutes to let the flavors meld. Before pouring in the eggs, season the soup with fish sauce to your liking.
3️⃣ Add eggs to create egg ribbons
The speed at which you stir the soup when adding beaten eggs will determine the size of the egg ribbons. Feel free to stir as slow or as fast as you want, but make sure to stir in a circular motion in one direction. I also don’t recommend stirring too fast which will break up the eggs into tiny pieces.
Finally, sprinkle black pepper, scallions and cilantro over the soup before serving. Chinese version often calls for a drizzle of sesame oil when serving. It’s not common to see sesame oil in Vietnamese tomato egg drop soup recipe, but it is fine to add it if you want.
Other recipes to use up eggs and tomatoes are this dinner omelette with tomato and onion and tomato and egg stir-fry with noodles.
More Easy Soup Recipes
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Tomato Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges (or 4 small tomatoes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/4 cups chicken broth (or just plain water)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or to taste)
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- black pepper
- thinly sliced scallions
- roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place a pot over medium heat and add some oil. Once the oil is hot, add sliced shallots, stir and cook until fragrant and just lightly browned.
- Add tomato wedges, continue to stir and cook until the outside of tomatoes starts to look soft and mushy. Add salt and give everything a quick stir.
- Add chicken broth (or water) to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and continue to cook for a few minutes to let the flavors combine. Season with fish sauce to taste.
- While the soup is simmering, drizzle the beaten eggs slowly into the pot while stirring in a circular motion with a pair of chopsticks or a ladle. Depending on the speed you stir, you will have large or small egg ribbons. Don't stir too fast which will break up the eggs into tiny pieces.
- Sprinkle the soup with black pepper, chopped scallions and cilantro. Transfer to serving bowls and serve immediately.
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