For many years I practically bragged that I didn't like to cook. I'm rather impatient and cooking takes time. I did like to bake, but cooking? Not so much.
And then my father passed away and my mother stopped cooking for herself. She would eat a microwaved poached egg and toast, or heat up a frozen fish fillet in the toaster oven, and that was about all. It was up to my brother and me to make sure she was eating something with nutrition. It turns out that my brother is a pretty darn good cook. I needed to step up to the plate.Something my Mum liked was egg drop soup from the Chinese take-away around the corner. I shudder when I think of that container of greasy goop that passed for egg drop soup. I needed to find a healthier recipe. The one I now use takes about five minutes to make and is practically fat-free. (The time sink is getting the chicken stock up to a boil.)
4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
salt, to taste
2 green onions, (spring onions, scallions) green parts only, thinly sliced
In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the sugar, salt, and the rice wine or dry sherry if using. Cook for about another minute. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the egg white, stirring in one direction only. Chopsticks work well for this if you have them. Garnish with the green onion and serve.
Yield: 2-4 servings
I make this for lunch several times a month. It's very low in calorie (I don't even put the sugar in it--instead using more of the rice vinegar).
Do you have a fast, easy recipe you use on a regular basis?
