Tomato, onion & egg-drop macaroni soup
Fresh tomato and onion simmered into a tangy broth with egg ribbons and macaroni — warming, appetising and not greasy.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Quick soup
- Easy
Why it suits you: A Balanced constitution simply follows the season. Grain Rain is damp, so pungent-warm onion and ginger help disperse dampness, tomato wakes up the appetite, and egg and macaroni round it into a complete, comfortable workday breakfast.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min- 1Cut the tomatoes into wedges, slice the onion and beat the eggs.
- 2In a separate pan of boiling water, cook the macaroni for 8–10 minutes until soft, then drain.
- 3Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, fry the ginger and onion until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes until juicy.
- 4Add the water, bring to the boil, then simmer on medium for 5 minutes. Season with salt and a pinch of sugar.
- 5Just before turning off the heat, slowly pour in the egg, stirring gently with chopsticks to form ribbons. Add the macaroni and spring onion and serve.
Chef's tips
- Score a cross on top of each tomato and soak in boiling water for 1 minute — the skin peels off easily for a silkier soup.
- Cook the macaroni the night before, toss with a few drops of oil and keep it in the fridge; just reheat it in the soup.
The TCM view
Tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold, generating fluids and aiding digestion; onion and ginger are pungent and warm, moving qi, resolving dampness and warming the middle; egg is sweet and neutral and nourishes blood; wheat pasta is sweet and neutral. Cool and warm balance out, and the sour-sweet flavour stimulates the appetite without heaviness — right for strengthening the spleen in Grain Rain.
