Traditional Vietnamese Tomato Egg Drop Soup (Canh Trứng Cà Chua)

A traditional Vietnamese family meal often consists of a homemade soup. It is served with steamed rice, a main protein dish, and possibly an additional vegetable stirfry. Soup is a great way to ease digestion in a multi-course meal. As you grow older in a traditional Vietnamese family, you require soup with rice. Otherwise, it’s deemed incomplete and dry, and you wouldn’t hear the end of it from the elders.

Sometimes I spend way too much time cooking the main protein dish that I forget or get too tired to make soup. But if you can muster up another 15 minutes maximum you can complete the meal with a simple and tasty soup. My go-to soup that is quick and easy is usually tomato and egg soup or Canh Trứng Cà Chua. Tomato and eggs are items I always have in the fridge so it’s a no-brainer. Unlike the Chinese version which has a thicker consistency, this is a light and refreshing soup that goes wonderfully with steamed rice.

Ingredients for Traditional Vietnamese Tomato and Egg Soup (Canh Trứng Cà Chua)

For this soup, opt for really ripe tomatoes, as you would for tomato sauce. The riper the tomatoes, the sweeter the soup, and the more beautiful the color. You want to cut up the tomatoes into small pieces so that it releases its juices. I’m using cherry tomatoes in this recipe. They are small enough so I’m not going to bother cutting them up and instead using them whole.

To begin, heat up a small pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and stir fry until fragrant, usually a couple of seconds. Next, toss in the tomatoes and stir fry the tomatoes until they are wilted and the juices are released.

Pour in your choice of unsalted stock or simply water. You can use whatever stock you have on hand. Chicken, pork, beef, seafood, or vegetable stock will work. To keep this recipe simple, I’m using water.

For those who like using store-bought stock, I would use a combination of equal amounts of stock and water, as I find that pure store-bought stock is too overpowering for Vietnamese soups.

Seasoning Ingredients for Traditional Vietnamese Tomato and Egg Soup (Canh Trứng Cà Chua)

Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to a low simmer. Season your soup with fish sauce, bouillon powder (optional), salt, and sugar to your liking. If you are using store-bought stock and it doesn’t come unsalted, you will need to reduce the amount of salt and fish sauce in the recipe below to your taste, possibly even eliminating the salt altogether.

Now pour a thin stream of the beaten eggs as you swirl the soup with a ladle or chopsticks. This is how you get those pretty egg ribbons. The faster you stir, the thinner the ribbons. Alternatively, pour the beaten eggs into the soup in a circular motion without stirring. This will create beautiful egg petals instead of ribbons.

Finally, garnish the soup with freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and/or green onions for a beautiful finish. Serve this on its own as an appetizer or complete the meal with a main protein side and steamed rice. Recipe below. Happy cooking!

PRINATBLE RECIPE

Traditional Vietnamese Tomato Egg Drop Soup (Canh Trung Ca Chua)

Serves 3-5

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2-3 cups diced tomatoes
1 quart water (or half amount unsalted stock of your liking and half amount water)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon chicken bouillon stock powder
½ teaspoon fish sauce
2 beaten eggs
3-4 sprigs of cilantro or 1 green onion (thinly slice)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat up a small pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and stir fry until fragrant (a couple of seconds).
Toss in the chopped tomatoes and stir fry until wilted and the juices are released.
Add in water and/or unsalted stock. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Season with sugar, salt, bouillon powder and fish sauce. If using salted stock, you may need to reduce the amount of salt to your taste.
Pour a thin stream of the beaten eggs as you swirl the soup. This is how you get that pretty egg ribbons. The faster you stir, the thinner the ribbons.
Before serving, garnish with ground black pepper and sprinkle of chopped cilantro and/or green onions. Serve with steamed rice and a main protein dish for a complete meal.

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