Spicy Tomato Soup with Egg

A spicy, aromatic, and warming ginger and tomato soup with egg and fish sauce, easy-to-make Asian-style soup.

After a traditional German soup yesterday – the German Savoy Cabbage Soup – I have an Asian-inspired recipe for you today. This time a spicy and easy tomato soup with egg, which apparently is a popular Vietnamese and Cambodia soup recipe.

And if you would like to try other brightly colored and aromatic soups, you could try this Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup. Or the Creamy Carrot Soup with Milk or the Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk.

Ingredients

I found the recipe in a Wok and Stir-Fry Cookbook, but I've altered it quite a lot, mainly due to the absence of some of the ingredients. Things like nuoc mam or tuk trey or galangal.

Fish sauce:

• I did not even know what the first two ingredients were, but after making a search on Google I've found out that they are both fish sauces, the first one Vietnamese and the second one Cambodian. I've found this Houston Press article on nuoc mam very interesting.
• Well, no chance I can ever get any of those around here, so I used the regular fish sauce I found in the supermarket. But, by all means, if nuoc mam or tuk trey are available to you, do use them.

Ginger:

• Then, I did not have any galangal. I knew what that was, but as I have never even seen the stuff except in photographs, I could not use it. So, I used ginger instead.
• Some sources claim ginger to be a good enough substitute for galangal, while others say that ginger is a no-go. Galangal has a citrus flavor that ginger does not, so the taste of the dish will be different when substituting ginger for galangal.
• However, since galangal was not an option for me, I used ginger. And since I have no idea how the soup is supposed to taste like when cooked with galangal, I have to say that I have no complaints whatsoever regarding this soup made with ginger.
• The tomato soup with egg was perfectly delicious and I absolutely loved the spiciness and flavor given by the ginger. I am a ginger fan anyway, so anything made with lots of ginger is a winner for me.

Chilies:

• The recipe requires two chilies, I've only used a really small one, but I forgot to deseed it. So the dish was really hot, so hot that I had to remove a small amount of it before eating and mix that with some cream and lots of milk so that the kids would be able to eat it as well.
• It was still spicy, but mild enough for the children. And although my husband and I loved the soup in its very hot version, after tasting the cream and milk version as well, I can only say that adding some dairy (or coconut milk) to it is also a wonderful option, so feel free to vary the soup like that if you wish, it is different, but totally delicious as well.

Eggs:

• And now to the poached eggs: they were the main reason I chose to make this tomato soup with egg.
• I love poached eggs and I have them quite often for breakfast or lunch. Have a look at these delicious recipes: Garlic Mushroom Toast with Poached Eggs or this other combination of tomatoes and poached eggs: Poached Eggs and Tomatoes on Toast.
• Making poached eggs is really easy, despite what many people think. I know a few of them who never felt confident enough to poach eggs because they just cannot imagine that the eggs will not just disintegrate in the water.
• Well, I can reassure you, that that will not happen.

How to poach eggs?

• One of the most important things is to make sure that the water is not boiling when you add the eggs. It should only very lightly simmer. If it boils, turn the heat down and wait until the water stops boiling before adding the eggs.
• Break each egg into an individual small cup or ramekin dish.
• When the water simmers, create a swirl in the water using a whisk. Slowly add the eggs to the water. The swirl will help the egg whites fold around the egg yolks in a nicer manner.
• Don't make more than two poached eggs at a time, unless you have a very wide pot, they need space.
• Let the eggs simmer for about 4-5 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking. To check if they have the desired consistency, carefully lift an egg using a slotted spoon and press it lightly with the finger. You should be able to tell just by looking at the egg and touching it slightly if it has the consistency you are hoping for.

More recipes with eggs:

• Chanterelle Omelet
• Spicy Deviled Eggs with Tuna
• Salad Torte or Lettuce Cake
• Eggs and Asparagus on Toast
• Pea Frittata with Leeks (and Parmesan)

Spicy Tomato Soup with Egg

A spicy and easy tomato soup, Vietnamese or Cambodian style, served with poached eggs.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 391kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 3 shallots
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 red chili
• ▢ 25 g/ 1 oz ginger
• ▢ 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• ▢ 2 cans chopped tomatoes 400 g/ 14 oz each
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fish sauce See note
• ▢ 4 lime leaves
• ▢ 900 ml/ 30.5 fl.oz/ 3 ¾ cups chicken stock
• ▢ 4 very fresh eggs
• ▢ a splash of white wine vinegar
• ▢ fine sea salt and pepper
• ▢ fresh coriander or parsley

Instructions

Easy Tomato Soup:

• Finely chop the shallots, garlic cloves, chili (deseeded or not, to taste), and ginger. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy bottom soup pot. Add the chopped ingredients and cook until golden and fragrant.
• Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, fish sauce, lime leaves, and chicken stock. Stir well, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Blend the soup and adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Poached Eggs:

• To make the poached eggs, bring a wide pan of water to a boil. Add a splash of white wine vinegar to the water. Turn the heat to very low and wait until the water stops boiling and only simmers.
• In the meantime break each egg into an individual small cup or ramekin dish.
• Create a swirl in the water using a whisk. Carefully place the eggs into the water. It is preferable to poach only two eggs at the time, so either poach the eggs in batches or use two pans.
• Set the timer to 4 minutes. Check if the eggs are done to your liking by carefully lifting one egg with a slotted spoon. You should be able to tell if it is done to your liking just by looking at it or touching it gently with a finger. If it's not done yet, place it back into the water and continue simmering for another ½ to 1 minute.
• Line a large plate with some kitchen paper. Carefully lift the eggs from the water with the slotted spoon and place them on the lined plate, the paper will absorb the excess water. Pat the top sides of the eggs dry with a piece of kitchen paper as well.
• Fill four bowls with the soup, carefully place one egg into each bowl and sprinkle the soup with chopped coriander or parley. Sprinkle the eggs with some flaky salt and serve immediately with bread or rice.

Notes

Nuoc mam or tuk trey if available, if not, regular fish sauce would do.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the soup and 1 egg | Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 218mg | Sodium: 1871mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g

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