Tomato Dough-Drop Soup (Ge Da Tang)

The story

Ge da tang is what northern Chinese families make when it is cold and the pantry is bare: flour rubbed into ragged little dough drops, cooked in tomato-egg broth. It fills the stomach like a quilt fills the bed.

Ingredients (6 + pantry staples)

• All-purpose flour — 1 cup / 130 g
• Ripe tomatoes — 2, diced
• Eggs — 2, beaten
• Scallions — 1, sliced
• Soy sauce — 1 tbsp
• Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp

Pantry staples used (don't count toward the 6): salt, white pepper, sugar (1 tsp). Not stocked yet? See the pantry page.

Steps

1. Stir the flour with ~1/3 cup water in drips until you get ragged little lumps.
2. Fry tomatoes with sugar and salt until saucy; add 4 cups / 1 L water and boil.
3. Drop the dough lumps in a bit at a time, stirring; cook 3 minutes.
4. Ribbon in the egg, season with soy, pepper and sesame oil. Scallions.

Swaps

Add wilted greens or frozen corn with the dough. The dough drops also upgrade any tomato soup.