In Thailand, we call a clear broth soup “tom jued.” “Tom” means soup, and “jued” translates to being clear, but it generally implies that the broth is light in flavor—unlike tom yum, for example, which is usually heavy on spice and citrus.

When I worked in a restaurant kitchen, I had to save vegetables and meat scraps such as onions, carrots, cabbages, and chicken bones and throw them in a ten-gallon pot for making soup stock. Straining the broth after long hours of cooking was quite a pain. Although no bouillon would beat a homemade broth, convenience makes it a good choice for dorm cooking. I like to use vegetable bouillon when I make tom jued, and I prefer not to use pre-made vegetable or chicken broth because I find the flavor to overpower the other ingredients.

Madame Benoit, a renowned Canadian chef, once said, “I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.” Here, I see the broth as a theme, and what you choose to add is your choice. At the end of the recipe, I will share some variation ideas.

How to go about it:

Add the bouillon into water and bring it to rolling boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and drizzle in the egg, which should cook immediately. Add tofu, mushrooms, onions, celery, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook in low heat for about two to three more minutes. Sprinkle some green onions or cilantro when served.

Variations:

I like to use onions, celery, and green onions to add more flavor to the broth. Onion powder and glarlic powder are good additions too. If you have carrots, parsley, cilantro, cauliflower, or any vegetable that’s suitable for soup stock, you should add them. Just make sure the timing is right. For example, carrots and cauliflower take longer to cook, so you should add them when bringing water to boil.

If you like meat, you can make small chicken or pork balls. Mince the chicken or pork and marinade them with some garlic, salt, and pepper. Then roll them into small balls using your palms. Shrimp also tastes really good with this soup. A combination of tofu, eggs, and mushrooms are only some of many other options. Sometimes, I pour this soup over steamed rice noodles, so you can make a noodle soup with only one extra step.