Soups
1.5T cornstarch
4C good-quality chicken broth
1inch piece of fresh ginger (don't substitute ground ginger)
1/4C chopped green onions
2-4 eggs (2 if very ill, and adding more as appetite increases)
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and about 1/4C of the broth and set aside.
Bring the rest of the broth and the ginger to a boil. While it's heating, in another small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. When the broth boils, toss in the green onions, then SLOWLY drizzle in the egg, which will cook instantly. Follow immediately with the cornstarch mixture and stir until just thickened. Serve immediately (with extra green onions is optional).
Variations: adding a touch of ground pepper or shoyu for spiciness, or tossing in thinly sliced greens with the green onions (ex: the green parts of bok choy, chopped spinach, tender kale or cabbage, etc).
PS. You'll notice how similar this is to Jook. You can make one basic broth and alternate soups for a couple days, until the patient feels better / hungrier. If you do, omit the cornstarch in the Egg Drop Soup- it's perfectly fine to use the rice as thickener for both soups. Also, for both soups, adding 1-2 slices of daikon to the broth (removing them with the ginger chunk) adds depth to the flavour of the broth. Not necessary, but nice.