This Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup recipe combines two classic Chinese food recipes into one! It’s low carb, gluten free and VSG friendly!
Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup
During post-op I was so sick of sweet shakes. We really wanted something savory. So when we went for the surgery in Mexico, the restaurant across from the hotel we stayed at had hot and sour soup. I had expected to get the soup and have only the broth. But I guess they saw a lot of “soon to be sleevers” traffic because they were certainly ready for us with a clear liquid soup that tasted just like hot and sour soup, but without the pork, tofu, mushrooms etc.
When we got home, I thought I’d try a version at home. At first, when we were on clear liquids, we had the soup with broth only. Then when we graduated to full liquids, I made it with eggs and I still love it.
Low carb and gluten free dieters rejoice! Not only is this Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup VSG friendly, but it’s low carb, high in protein and gluten free. Not to mention it is absolutely delicious and it’s done in only 20 minutes. No long cook and preparation times here. Just quick, simple and to the point.
Are you a fan of Chinese food? If you enjoyed my Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup you’re sure to enjoy my Pressure Cooker Low Carb Szechuan Pork Soup. It’s a low carb version as well, so you can enjoy it guilt free!
And since we’re on the subject of soups, my Instant Pot Moong Dal Soup is a flavorful traditional Indian soup that you’ll absolutely love. It’s gluten free and vegetarian!
Anyways, this Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup is the perfect combination of spicy, tangy and savory. It’s the perfect soup to warm you up on a cold day, as an appetizer to a homemade Chinese meal or as a quick lunch or dinner option. Now get to cooking and enjoying!
Modified from Bee Yinn Low’s Easy Chinese Recipes. Makes 5-6 cups.
This Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup recipe combines two classic Chinese food recipes into one! It's low carb, gluten free and VSG friendly!
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons Chinese Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 tablespoons Chili Oil
- 4 eggs, beaten lightly
- Mix and heat broth, sauces and vinegars.
- In a small bowl, mix the corn starch and water.
- When broth is boiling, slowly incorporate the cornstarch mix. Keep stirring and let it boil for a while to thicken the broth
- Slowly pour in the eggs. Mix three times around with chopsticks. Turn off the flame, cover the pot and let the eggs cook slowly in the broth.
To increase the protein content, I really think you could put in some extra-silken soft tofu in there. It's a lot more "liquid" than yogurt, or jello, and should go down easy. If you want, put about 2-3 ounce of soft tofu before adding the eggs.
I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.
Vira says
Made this for my Mom, she loved it. Nice change up for her, thanks for sharing.
URVASHI PITRE says
I’m glad she liked it 🙂
Alice Cole says
Just found you. I’m having surgery in Mexican on Sept.4th. Any advice or recommendations?
Kandis H. says
Glad to have found your blog, I’m only a week and two days out from being sleeved and I’m already tired of the sweet stuff. I was never a sweet eater in the first place, I loved my salty chips! Eating sf popsicles, and chocolate/vanilla protein shakes all day is torture. It’s good to know there are more savory options that are easy to prep!
Two Sleevers says
You’re lucky you don’t like sweets! Unfortunately I still love sweets and fight the cravings every week. I have a few other savory soups on here too. I hope you enjoy them.
Kandis H. says
Thank you! I just made the hot and sour soup, delicious! I didn’t have the toe those if vinager so I substituted with white and apple cider. I also used some liquid egg whites, came out great!
Thanks again
Two Sleevers says
I’m so glad! It’s one of my favorite and even now, more than a year after surgery, I’ll make it sometimes and enjoy the sour and spicy flavor. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out.
Stephanie says
I woke up feeling like a cold was coming on this morning. Nothing sounded good all day until I saw this, so I made up a batch this afternoon. It really hit the spot! I couldn’t find black vinegar at my regular grocery store (I’ll pick some up the next time I go to the Asian market), so I substituted with balsamic. I also added some garlic chili paste to my bowl to kick up the heat a bit. Thanks for the great recipe!
Two Sleevers says
So glad to hear it! Yes, I too have a batch in the fridge right now. I’ve been a little puny lately and feeling the need for comfort food, and soup is my comfort food.