When eating Chinese food, soups are a clear choice as an appetizer before the main meal. Many individuals love ordering a pint, bowl, or cup of egg drop and wonton soup. Both are staples in Chinese culture and are available on nearly every menu at a Chinese restaurant. However, what are the differences between the two soups? Aside from the ingredients, there are different origins, calories, and flavors associated with both soups.
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What is egg drop soup?
Egg drop soup is originally from China. The soup is made of eggs and chicken broth. Egg drop soup is cooked by heating chicken broth to a boiling temperature and then pouring thinly beaten eggs into the broth, cooking the eggs upon immersion. This soup is offered in many countries around the world and oftentimes contains the same simple ingredients. However, in America, the soup appears much thicker than in China. In America, cornstarch is sometimes added to the soup in order to make it thicker.
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What is wonton soup?
Wonton soup is also a Chinese-originated soup. It is made with clear flavored broth and Chinese wontons, which are a version of dumplings. Wontons are filled with many different things, but most often are filled with ground pork and vegetables. However, there are also shrimp wontons available in many Chinese restaurants. Wonton soup most often comes with pork-filled wontons. Some restaurants serve wonton soup with vegetables in the broth, instead of a clear broth, depending on where you are ordering from.
Which soup has more calories?
Egg drop soup does not have a ton of calories, as there are not many ingredients in the soup. Typically, a bowl of egg drop soup will have 65 calories. Wonton soup, however, tends to have more calories as the wontons add more to the soup. However, the calorie count is not as high as one would anticipate. A cup of wonton soup typically has only 71 calories.
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Which soup is higher in fat?
Many would assume that because egg drop soup has fewer calories, it is also lower in fat content. This is not the case. As it so happens, egg drop is higher in fat than wonton soup. Egg drop soup has 1.5 grams of fat, with 0.4 grams of saturated fat. Wonton soup, on the other hand, has 0.6 grams of fat and 0.1 grams of saturated fat.
Which soup has higher sodium?
Both egg drop soup and wonton soup are high in sodium. The sodium count in the soups accounts for a portion of the recommended daily sodium intake. Egg drop soup has 891.7 milligrams of sodium in a cup, while wonton soup has 905.4 milligrams of sodium in a cup.
Which soup has more carbs?
Many people who are on specific diets are looking for low-carb options when it comes to their meals. There are not many carbs in either soup, however, that does not mean there are none. In a cup of egg drop soup, there are 10.3 grams of carbohydrates. Wonton soup has typically more carbs in a cup of its soup due to the outer layer of the wonton itself. Wonton soup has 11.7 grams of carbohydrates. In retrospect, these are not high counts.
Does either soup offer protein?
Fortunately, both egg drop soup and wonton soup are sources of protein—though, not much. Due to the pork in the wonton soup and the eggs in the egg drop soup, both offer small grams of protein. Egg drop soup has 2.8 grams of protein, while wonton soup has 4.6 grams of protein.
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Do either of these soups offer vitamin enrichment?
Both soups do offer some vitamin enrichment due to the ingredients in the broth and the soup itself. In comparison, egg drop soup offers more vitamin C and vitamin A than wonton soup. However, wonton soup also offers vitamins, such as vitamin B and folate.
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
The bottom line
- Egg drop soup and wonton soup have similar calorie amounts, although egg drop soup is slightly lower. Both are rather low in calories, making them good choices for those watching their caloric intake.
- Like the name suggests, egg drop soup has eggs and chicken broth. Wonton soup, on the other hand, contains Chinese wontons, a form of dumpling.
- Despite being lower in calories, egg drop soup actually has higher fat content than wonton soup. This can make picking one while on a diet tougher; fortunately, both are generally okay to have while on a diet.
Chicken and Dumplings
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Description
When you make this chicken and dumplings recipe, you'll find out very quickly the secret to culinary happiness that great cooks know. They know that it’s not a waste of kitchen skills to make a tasty dish from another era. They know that you can take care of your soul in a world that tells your body to keep going at full speed, just by turning a few simple ingredients into a nourishing meal. And by doing so, you’ll end up with great chicken and dumplings that take comfort food to a new level.
Ingredients
Dumpling Filling Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, cut up (3–4 pounds)
- 8 cups water
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- parsley
- poultry seasoning
Cream of Chicken Soup Ingredients:
(You may substitute canned cream of chicken soup.)
- 3/4 cups additional chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon parsley
- Dash of paprika
- 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
Dumpling Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup milk (whole milk)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large pot with celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Cover with 8 cups of water.
- Simmer for one hour, until tender. Remove the chicken and cool enough to remove the meat from the bone.
- Return chicken meat to pot and broth.
- Make the cream of chicken soup by boiling in a medium-sized saucepan: the 3/4 cups additional chicken broth, 1/2 of the milk, and the seasonings for about 2 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.
- Add the cream of chicken soup to the chicken meat and broth in the large pot and simmer gently.
- To make the dumplings mix flour, baking powder and salt. Work in the butter with fingertips. Gradually add the milk.
- Roll into golf ball sized balls, then flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.
- Drop carefully into the hot broth and simmer the chicken and dumplings 10 minutes longer, making sure to ladle broth over the dumplings to submerge them as they cook.
Notes
You many substitute one can of cream of chicken soup in place of the homemade version. If you decide to do this, skip steps #4 and #5. We recommend trying it at least one time with the homemade version.
Both egg drop soup and wonton soup are staples of Chinese culture and are offered in American Chinese restaurants, nearly on every menu. For those who are interested in lessening their caloric intake, egg drop soup may be a better choice. However, wonton soup offers more protein and more vitamin B. On the other hand, egg drop soup is a great source of vitamin C. Both soups are rich in flavor and satisfying for an appetizer with any meal.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com.