Magic potion-- the Chinese sweet corn soup-- with a difference

Have I ever told you that I love fogs? I don't know, but the way it creates an illusion of being solitary, even in a maddening crowd, somehow seems to work a charm on me. As if someone just waved a wand and magically, everyone just vanished..except me. And slowly... as the fog clears how suddenly full of people, the same place becomes. It is difficult to imagine they were all here..with me..all this time. And I never had a clue...although I knew they were all here...

Speaking of magic and clueless ness... I need to talk about this soup-- quite a  magic potion if you ask me! The regular chinese chicken  eggdrop soup. I love it. And here is one reason why. I have never said this to anybody. Not even to R. I did not know till the last week what those fluffy, white stuff is, that floats in the soup and makes it super delicious. That,  along with many others, was the reason I adored my mom's mixed chicken soup-- any chinese soups- I swear I had no clue. And that was the only reason , never tried making the soup at home. I was sure it took expertise taught in maybe culinary schools. I belived them to be some form of clumped cornflakes added to the soup in a fancy way.

I now know what they are. Egg drops. Yes. Beaten egg dropped in hot broth.  It is amazing.  And thanks to Tyler florence recipes, I know that. Since that day...I have been making and improving on the magic potion-- a fantasy for me since the last 26 years.

And here it is...an improvisation on a very popular soup. With tons of veggies and pea!

Ingredients:-- for 2 very hungry people

4 small thighs of chicken.
2-3 stalks of scallion. Green onion will do as well
1 medium size Green pepper
A handful of pea. If using frozen peas soak in water for 30 minutes before using them. I use them instead of corn. Kind of lends a seasonal feel to the soup.

1/3 tsp of minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic minced  optional
1 green chili minced optional

1 tsp of vinegar
2-3 tbsf soy sauce
2 small eggs/ 1 large egg. Whipped
1 tsp corn flour. Mix with 3 tbsf water and whip till no clumps remain.

4 cups of water. Or chicken broth.  Or half and half

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A handful of parsley or Cilantro for garnishing.

Here is how the magic happens :)

I prefer to do my own chicken stock. One reason being I always am short of the required amount of stock. So I substitute it or do half and half.

Take a big pot and add the water (if you are making your own) and the chicken. Boil for a good 15 minutes. Scoop the chicken out and set aside for it to cool down.

You are to chop it up into bite size pieces while you are waiting for any of the following steps to finish

Add any stock that you are using and wait for it to boil. Add the chili, garlic, ginger, vinegar and soy sauce and the corn flour. Let  boil for a minute or so. Slowly add the whipped egg, carefully moving in one direction. This is the best part. How cool those flakes look breaking into the whole soup.  I mean if you haven't done it before...just take in the sight. You will never forget it. Honestly. Wait for a minute, while continuously stirring. Will prevent clumping of the egg drops.

Add the chicken, peas, green pepper, scallions/green onion and let the soup boil for another 2-3 minutes on reduced heat. Season with salt and pepper. Take it off the fire. Garnish with Parsley/ Cilantro and have it hot.

Tastes as magical as the soups you crave for in the Chinese restaurants!!

I did not have the time to take a picture..but since it looked exactly as any good hearty chinese egg drop..chicken soup except with the lovely veggies. You surely can imagine that one?

Here is a template to base your imaginations on. From the web

Happy eating..and healthy living!