I once had an “authentic” version of egg drop soup at a restaurant in Chinatown in Las Vegas. It was not the bright yellow, gelatinous version that you find in many Chinese restaurants in the US. Instead, it was a lighter, more nuanced broth with various items added to it such as spinach and mushrooms. If you have not made egg drop soup at home, it is well worth the experience and does not require too much effort.
While this recipe does not come together as quickly as some of the other versions found in the References section, I like that it adds more flavor to the broth by steeping it with aromatics. But this recipe can also be used as a base for adding additional items perhaps skipping using and steeping the aromatics. I like to do both by first simmering with the aromatics then removing them and stirring in some spinach and lightly sautéed diced mushrooms (or add some dried mushrooms to the steeping process). Some chili sauce can be drizzled on top for some spice, and small cubes of tofu also go well with this.
I have not tried freezing this soup, so cannot say how well it would taste after thawing and reheating. However, the portion of this recipe means that I have not felt to need to freeze any. Besides, the recipe is not very time-consuming so is easy to make on-demand.
Timings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Wait: 30 minutes
Total: 42 minutes
Ingredients
- 4C chicken stock
- 1/4t sesame oil
- 6 scallions, dark green leaves removed and sliced
- 2 slices bacon, cut into 4 equal slices
- 1in knob of ginger
- 1t whole white peppercorns
- 4t corn starch, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1/4t ground white pepper
- 1/2t salt
Steps
- Add the chicken stock, sesame oil, scallion whites and light green parts, bacon, ginger, and whole peppercorns to a pot, bring to a light simmer, and cook 30 minutes.
- Strain all the solids from the soup and discard.
- Mix 1T cornstarch and 1T cold water until combined well, add to the broth and bring back to a light simmer stirring occasionally.
- If adding any additional ingredients such as spinach, do so now and cook briefly to warm everything up.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Scramble the eggs and 1t corn starch in a bowl. Stir the broth so that it is moving in a circular motion. Lay the tines of a fork on the edge of the bowl with the egg mixture, and slowly drizzle the eggs into the soup letting the tines of the fork create small streams of eggs through them. If the broth stops moving, then stir again gently.
- Cook for 15 seconds then use a spoon to stir the eggs and break them up into strands the size of your choosing.
- Stir in the scallion greens, and salt and ground pepper to taste.