On Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:51:41 -0400, "James Silverton"
<not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> wrote:

>"Skyhooks" > wrote in message
...
>> Lovely EvilOne wrote:
>>>
>>> Anyone have a recipe for making this that tastes like the
>>> kind you get
>>> from a chinese place? Yes, I did google and got a whole bunch
>>> of recipes
>>> - some of which seem to include things I wouldn`t expect. .
>>> The egg drop
>>> I used to get seemed pretty simple just a rich broth and the
>>> eggs. I
>>> tried making with canned chicken broth at home and it wasn`t
>>> nearly as
>>> good. Some of the recipes called for either flour or
>>> cornstarch - is
>>> that what I`m missing?
>>
>> I use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the chicken broth/stock
>> until
>> desired texture is reached, then add beaten whole egg(s) into
>> the hot -
>> but not boiling or bubbling - thickend broth, a spoonful at a
>> time. But
>> first, I add spices and flavoring to the chicken broth; soy
>> sauce,
>> grated fresh ginger, sesame oil (very little), rice wine
>> vinegar,
>> chopped chives or green onions, etc.
>>
>> Sky
>>
>> P.S. Yes, I use canned chicken broth (low sodium).
>>
>> P.P.S. I do not recommend using flour as a thickening agent
>> for this
>> dish.
>
>Escoffier always abhorred the taste of uncooked flour and for
>thickening insisted that you should cook it in a roux. In
>general, I can't disagree unless you are going to cook the flour
>in the liquid for a very long time.


Escoffier was:

1.) French
2.) A snob (see 1)
3.) Fuller of hubris than an American

I don't know where the concept that French cuisine is great started but I'm here to
say I don't buy it.

What can you expect from a country where slugs are considered a delicacy.
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You'll have to try to determine what seems to be missing from your soup. Mine is just
strong broth with a little grated ginger, sesame oil and green onions. Possibly
heretical but I have the soup boiling when I add the eggs.

This might be of interest:

http://chinesefood.about.com/library.../aa090701a.htm