This egg drop tofu soup comes in around 2 grams of net carb a bowl because the tofu stands in for the starch and there is no cornstarch slurry. The broth is at a boil and the soup is done, so it is ready in well under ten minutes. Sliced tofu gives you something soft to spoon up where the noodles would go, and the egg sets into silky ribbons on top.
Well it was bound to happen this holiday season. I woke up yesterday with the cold. I don't know about you, but when I am under the weather all I want is chicken noodle soup. Since noodles are off-limits I decided why not try slicing up tofu and using it instead. I have found in soups that tofu is the perfect replacement for noodles and they are high in protein. My Low Carb soup of choice to make when I sick is Egg Drop Tofu Soup. This soup is great because as soon as the broth comes to a boil the soup is done. It couldn't be more simple to make and reheat. I hope all of you are staying healthy this holiday season.
How to drop the egg for silky ribbons
The whole charm of egg drop soup is in that one move, and it is the move most people botch. Drop a beaten egg into a hard boiling pot and it seizes into rubbery clumps before it can spread. The fix is heat and patience. Once the broth is hot, pull it back to a bare simmer or kill the heat altogether, then drizzle the egg in a thin steady stream from a few inches above the pot. Stir the broth slowly in one direction as you pour, or give it a swirl and pour into the swirl. The egg fans out into fine feathery threads and sets in seconds. This is the same idea behind a Chinese egg drop soup, 蛋花湯, literally "egg flower soup," where the thin stream blooms into petals across the surface.
Keeping it Low Carb without the slurry
Most egg drop recipes lean on a cornstarch slurry to give the broth body and help the egg ribbons hang suspended instead of sinking. The starch is what pushes their carb count up. Here the tofu does that job. The strips drink in the broth and give every spoonful something to land on, so you get a soup with substance and no slurry. If you like a little more cling to the broth, a splash of the tofu's own soft edges breaking down does it naturally. That keeps the bowl around 2 grams of net carb, which is why this one fits Keto, Atkins, and a diabetic plan where a takeout egg drop soup usually does not. It is also gluten free, so it is safe for celiac too.
The broth makes or breaks it
With this few ingredients, the broth is most of the flavor, so it is worth using a good one. Boxed broths are low in carbs but many hide MSG and additives you do not need. A homemade stock skips all of that and costs you nothing but leftovers. If you have a carcass kicking around, the same pot of turkey tofu soup shows how I build a from-scratch broth in the slow cooker, and that stock drops straight into this soup. The sliced tofu trick that replaces the noodles is the same one in both bowls. Keep an eye out for more Low Carb lunch recipes to put that broth to work, and leftover stock is just as at home in a tomato bisque.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for chicken broth, firm tofu, egg, and green onion
America's Test Kitchen, How to Make Egg Ribbons in Soup
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb egg drop tofu soup notes
