I am sick of being sick! As if it wasn’t annoying enough to have a cold, I also have a presentation to give tomorrow at our pediatric noon conference. Have I prepared this presentation? Of course not. Have you met me? I was probably watching TV and/or sleeping. Or cooking. Or whining, like I am doing right now. Or making Egg and Lemon Soup.
I made this soup the other day when I realized that I was developing a cold. I wish I could claim that this soup cured me, and that I felt fine when I woke up the next day. It did not, and I did not. It did make my throat feel a little better, though. And, it reminded me of my childhood, which made me feel a little warm and fuzzy (a feeling that counteracts sore throat and stuffy nose). My mom used to make this soup for me, usually as a snack before bed to warm me up on a cold night. It was a recipe taught to her by my great-grandmother, who made some of my favorite foods of all time, especially when it came to homestyle, old-school Armenian cooking.
A few things to keep in mind: the measurements are not accurate, because they just aren’t. Just follow the instructions, and it will come out fine. I know, because I have used bowls of varying sizes and it still tasted good in the end; just use a little more lemon juice if you’re bowl is big. Also, the egg does not cook all the way through, so please don’t make this if you’re immune system is compromised, or you just don’t want to risk getting an egg-borne illness (Salmonella, specifically). Finally, this recipe has never, in my experience, been doubled (or tripled, etc). I don’t know how it would work. So, just make your own bowl. This is the time to be selfish.
Egg and Lemon Soup
A creamy, tangy soup for one that's perfect for sick days and cold weather.
Ingredients
- 3/4 bowlful of water (about 1.5-2 cups)
- 1 egg
- Juice from 1/2 lemon (+/- a little lemon juice)
- The equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons of uncooked spaghetti or vermicelli noodles, broken into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon dried mint
- salt to taste
Instructions
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Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the noodles.
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While the noodles are cooking, beat the egg and lemon juice in your soup bowl with a fork. Add the mint.
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When the noodles have cooked through (about 7 minutes), slowly add the boiling water and noodles to the egg and lemon mixture, "whisking" constantly with a fork to prevent the egg from becoming stringy. To cook the egg through a bit more, pour the soup back into the sauce pan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2-3 more minutes.
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Serve.
Making this tonight. I am just about to leave work and looking forward to a late-night snack. Thanks for the family recipe!
Correction: Made this soup. Very good, and so easy! Warmed me up in no time.
Replying a bit late to this, but thanks! Glad you liked it.