Vegetarianism: Chye Sim Egg Soup

Chye sim egg soup occupies a special place in my heart. It holds a dear memory which my maternal grandmother and I shared. Before I share the memory, let's take a look at how to cook this simple soup which takes less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 stalks chye sim cut into smaller pieces

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 beaten egg
500 ml water

Steps

1. Add 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt in 500 ml water (use hot water to speed things up), and boil.
2. Add in chye sim and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until chye sim is crispy green.
3. Switch off flame and swirl in 1 beaten egg.

That's it! It's done and ready to serve. Do adjust the amount of seasoning to suit your taste. 

Now, back to the chye sim fond memory of my maternal grandmother. She passed away since I was in Secondary One. But, I still recalled vividly what happened that day.

It was a school day. My father sent me to primary school per mother's instruction. I was supposed to be on one more day of medical leave still due to chicken pox. Of course, I got sent back the moment I got into the classroom.

First, I tried to contact my parents but could not reach them. Since the only other number I remembered was my maternal grandmother's, I dialled it while praying that she was at home. Rang thrice and she picked up. A sigh of relief! Phew~ 

Luckily for me, she stayed near my primary school (and my place). Within an hour, I was at her house waiting for my parents to pick me up. Seeing that I am on the verge of crying (pretty traumatic experience for a primary kid), she cooked me this soup. Hence, this soup is one of my comfort food. It never fails to calm me down.

For years, I was trying to recreate it by adding seasonings such as vegetarian oyster sauce, mushroom granules, vegetable stock cubes, etc. but in vain. Something about the soup just did not bring back those fond memories.

Then, I recalled that my maternal grandmother was not a vegetarian (hence, I doubt she stocked up those seasonings). Also, she cooked me the soup about 20 plus years back. At that time, those seasonings were not readily available (or not in the market) too. So, I decided to go back to the basics and use only pepper and salt. Viola~  I finally got back the taste I missed so much. More accurately speaking, I miss her dearly still...

This is a very simple clear soup. Some might feel that the vegetable taste is a bit strong. But, I hope you will also like it. To increase its nutritional value, you may want to add in other ingredients such as tomatoes, carrots, etc. Go ahead and experiment with it! 

Bon appetit!