{Recipe} Egg Drop Soup 蛋花湯
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When the temperature finally drops below 50 F (10 C) here in NYC, I know that 1) winter is probably around the corner 2) it’s about the time to cook some soups.
And who doesn’t love a bowl of hot soup when it’s freezing cold outside! I mean nothing warms up my soul better than a hearty soup such as today’s easy Egg Drop Soup, unless we are talking about Spicy Hot Pot 🙂
In Chinese cuisine, soups come in many styles and variations. From hearty spareribs soup to exotic pork stomach soup to this misinterpreted but vastly popular Cantonese Borscht to everything in between.
Generally speaking, Chinese soups are roughly divided into two broad categories. The first category is what so called slow cooked soup such as traditional Cantonese style soups (aka 老火湯) which take between 3 to 6+ hours to cook. The second camp is what I call quick and dirty soup where ingredients are mixed and boiled together.
While I enjoy making slow-cooked soups on weekends or for special occasions, for weekday meals I mostly focus on quick and easy soups such as this Egg Drop Soup which only requires two main ingredients: egg and soup base.
Most of you are probably familiar with egg drop soup from your local Chinese restaurants but let me show you how to make your own egg drop soup in just 10 minutes. With a precise soup to egg ratio, this fail-proof method will guarantee your soup come out delicious and consistent every time. Not to mention it’s also a lot healthier than the MSG-laden soups from your local takeout places!
Before I let you jump into the recipe, I’d just like to wish the readers in the US a Happy Thanksgiving (perhaps you can share your menu in the comment below)! With that said, I am going to end the post short and sweet, just like today’s recipe 🙂
{Recipe} Egg Drop Soup 蛋花湯
Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 3
Cook Time: 7
Total Time: 10
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 cup soup stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 slice ginger
- Salt and white pepper powder
- 2 tbsp Corn starch
- 1 tsp chopped scallions for garnish
Directions:
In the meantime, beat the egg until it’s light, frothy and evenly colored
Combine 2 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of water to make a slush
Discard the ginger from the stock and flavor the soup with salt and pepper. Slowly add cornstarch slush to the soup while stirring
Stop adding once the soup is thick but still runny
Turn off the heat and slowly pour the egg into the pot and gently swirl the soup with a spoon. Adjust the flavor as needed
Garnish the soup with chopped scallions and serve it hotP.S. what’s your favorite dish to serve with this egg drop soup?
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Have you used arrow root instead of cornstarch? If so, is it the same ratio?
Thank you,
Amanda
hi Amanda, thanks for checking out the recipe. I have not used arrow root but I’d first try using the same ratio described in this recipe. Just mix in the slush slowly until the soup is thick but still runny. Hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing you recipe and process! I made this once and it was a total failure. I’ve always wanted to try again, but from an expert’s process. Now I have one. 🙂
Thank you MJ.
Mr.YI , my favorite meal associated with the egg drop soup was and still is lobster Cantonese style . I learned to love this dish while living in NY. The only variation to your ginger was , I’m not certain but pretty sure that the soup was made in a celery based broth. It was delicious. Maybe you can experiment in your kitchen with the celery and starch and come up with the same sensational soup that I crave and unable to locate. I lived in Los Angeles Ca. and went to China town thinking that they would have the same soup and lobster dinner combination and it was by far the worst of the worst. Ben PS. I haven’t tried yours but definitely will.
Hello Ben, thanks for checking out my recipe. I know the Lobster Cantonese style dish you were referring to. I believe the dish uses egg white to thicken the sauce so it resembles the consistency of that of egg drop soup. I agree that most of the restaurants here in the states add celery and skips ginger in the broth. I like it either way but prefers the gingery flavor in the winter. Thanks again for checking out my blog!
Hello Yi ,
Yummy so darn good ! I pressure canned turkey stock yesterday and got 10 pints . Today I used your egg drop soup recipe with turkey stock and it was excellent , crazy good , yummy in my tummy ! Thanks for sharing such a simple and scrumptious recipe .
HI Vannie, thanks for the kind feedback and I am really happy to hear that you liked the recipe. Thanks.
I love to start Chinese banquets with this soup!
Hi Yi – I’m surprised at how easy it is to make this. It will become a go-to recipe for me.
You say another group of soups take much longer to make. Would that include hot-and-sour soup? My Chinese professor’s wife used to make this for us in the cold Wisconsin winters. Store-bought never matches that zing of flavor. Can you point me to a tasty recipe for that? Thanks!
Hi Mack, thanks for checking out my blog. Before I answer your question I’d like to confirm that the hot and sour soup is similar to the local Chinese takeout version or is it complete different. The reason I ask is there are many variations of hot and sour soup in China and the version you had might be a regional recipe.
I never realized how quick and easy this family favorite is to make, thanks Yi!
You are welcome Jessica!
Love how easy this is to make! One egg per two cups stock? Plus cornstarch? Got it! Quick, easy, tasty –my kind of dish. Thanks!
Thank you John!
Egg Drop soup is one of my favorites. Simple yet delicious and very satisfying. 🙂
Glad to hear you like this soup as well!
Used to have this almost every day! A simple but very delicious everyday soup, Yi.
Thank you Angie!