#BloggerCLUE ~ Egg Drop Soup

Welcome to the February reveal day for the lovely C.L.U.E. Bloggers! Our theme this month is Soups and Stews - which makes me lots of happy! I love love love pretty much any soup or stew - I could live off of soup and sandwiches for the rest of my life and never get bored because there are SO many variations and styles out there to try. So thinking about something new and exciting I headed over to the beautiful blog of the indomitable Stacy of Food Lust People Love. There were so many fantastic options - but I could not pass up the chance to finally make Egg Drop Soup at home. I loooove egg drop soup. But every time I get it from a Chinese restaurant it is more often than not very thick and jelly like in texture and I always have to wonder what exactly I'm eating. But this homemade version?? No weird thick jelly - just perfect flavor and a soup you will love to make and eat over and over again.

There is a "trick" to getting the egg drop soup to form into beautiful thin ribbons (visit the link below and see what it is supposed to look like at Stacy's blog)! Me? Nope. Didn't master the trick. I will definitely have to practice that until I get it down! Mine whisked in and thickened quickly.

Regardless of my technical errors, I really loved the flavor of this soup. The ginger infused broth is really amazing and so simple. Just a dab of soy and black pepper (if you like) are great simple accents to highlight the lovely flavors in this dish.

Check out all the fantastic Soups & Stews this month!

• Caldo de Mariscos - Mexican Seafood Soup by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Cheddar Cheese Soup by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Chicken Asado by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Classic French Onion Soup by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Creamy Ham Swiss Potato Soup by Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Egg Drop Soup by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Egg Drop Soup by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Ginger Lemon Chicken Soup by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Italian Soup by Anna from annaDishes
• New York Strip Steaks with Cognac Creamed Mushrooms by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Okie Peasant Potato Soup by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Potato and Ham Chowder by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Roasted Squash and Apple Soup by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies





Egg Drop Soup adapted from Food Lust People Love


Ingredients 
For the soup base
4 cups chicken stock
1 TBS lightly dried ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (plus enough water to create a slurry)

For the egg drop:
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil

To serve:
Soy sauce to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat chicken stock and ginger to a low simmer, cook for about 10 minutes then strain out the ginger pieces and discard.
2. Blend the 1 1/2 TBS cornstarch with enough water to create a pourable slurry. Whisk as you pour the slurry into the broth, and blend mixture into the broth. Bring heat up high enough to bring to a low boil and stir occasionally until thickened.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, add in the teaspoon of cornstarch and sesame oil and blend until smooth. 
4. Stir the hot broth until it is moving in a circle and then slowly add the egg in the smallest stream possible so that it starts cooking as soon as it hits the hot broth, making ribbons of egg (I did not get this part correct - so mine came out much more "custard like" rather than ribbon like).
5. Serve the soup in bowls with a dash of soy and black pepper (as desired).