after eating out every meal for nearly two years, i try not to dine out too much when i am actually home.  this week i was craving some good asian cuisine, which led me to make homemade lettuce wraps, pf chang’s style.  to accompany the wraps, i took an adventure and made egg drop soup as well.  so how was it?  read on to find out!

although both the wraps and the soup may be considered appetizers or starters, since i was making them both, i figured they could substantiate as a meal together.

egg drop soup

ingredients

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

directions

in a small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth.  set aside.

in another bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork.  set aside.

reserve 3/4 cup of the chicken broth and pour the rest into a large saucepan.

stir the salt, ginger, and chives into the saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.

stir the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan until the soup is the desired consistency.  remove from the heat.

drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the broth mixture.  egg should cook immediately.

i found this recipe to be slightly on the salty side, but what soup isn’t?  otherwise, it was delicious and was the perfect starter for my meal.  it makes enough for about four servings.

lettuce wraps

special sauce ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 Tablespoon hot mustard

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon red chili paste

stir fry sauce ingredients

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

chicken filling ingredients

3 Tablespoons oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup water chestnuts

2/3 cup mushrooms

3 Tablespoons chopped onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

iceberg lettuce

special sauce directions

dissolve the sugar in the water in a small sauce bowl.

add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil.

combine the hot water with the hot mustard and add to the sauce bowl.

add chili sauce, mixing well.

refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

stir fry sauce directions

mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar together in a small bowl.  set aside.

chicken filling directions

bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.

sauté chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.

remove chicken from the pan and cool.

keep oil in the pan hot.

as chicken cools, mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.

when chicken is cool, mince it also.

with the pan still on high heat, add another Tablespoon of vegetable oil.

add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the pan.

add the stir fry sauce to the pan and sauté the mixture for a couple minutes.

serve in lettuce cups, topped with the special sauce.

these lettuce wraps were a bit messy with my stovetop, and the hot oil splattered on just about every surface within a 6-inch range.  otherwise, i really liked the flavors of the chicken and vegetable filling.  as you could guess, you could throw just about anything in for the filling, from beef to tofu to vegetables.

overall, a very good imitation in my opinion.  a very good recipe to have on-hand.

ps.  i do apologize that there are no pictures.  i ate all the servings before i realized i needed to snag a pic!