Description
A comforting and delicious Chinese egg drop soup featuring silky egg ribbons in a savory chicken broth. This quick and easy recipe requires minimal ingredients and is ready in just 10 minutes, making it perfect for a family-friendly appetizer or light meal that’s better than takeout.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (chicken stock powder)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
Egg Mixture
- 3 large eggs
Thickener
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or potato starch/tapioca starch)
- ¼ cup cold water
Garnish
- 1 green onion, finely chopped (separated into scallion whites and greens)
Instructions
- Prepare Eggs: In a measuring cup with a spout or a small bowl, beat the 3 large eggs until smooth and set aside. Using a measuring cup with a spout helps create even, thin egg ribbons later.
- Make Cornstarch Slurry: Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water in a small bowl, mixing until the starch dissolves completely. Set aside for thickening the broth.
- Heat Broth: In a medium pot, add 4 cups chicken stock and the scallion whites from the green onion. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Thicken Broth: Lower the heat to medium. While stirring, slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry to the broth. Continue to stir and let the soup come back to a boil, cooking for about 1-2 minutes until thickened.
- Season Soup: Add 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Stir well to incorporate all the seasonings.
- Create Egg Ribbons: While continuously stirring the broth, pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream from a slight height to create smaller delicate egg ribbons. For larger ribbons, pour the eggs at a lower height, do not stir immediately, and let the eggs set for 10 seconds before gently stirring.
- Simmer and Finish: Let the soup simmer for 1 minute to fully cook the eggs. Remove the pot from heat.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle the chopped scallion greens on top as a garnish. Serve immediately and enjoy your homemade egg drop soup!
Notes
- Using a measuring cup with a spout makes pouring the eggs easier and helps create uniform egg ribbons.
- You can substitute chicken stock powder with more broth but seasoning may vary.
- Adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) to taste after thickening the soup.
- The soup is best served fresh and hot for the best texture and flavor.
- For a vegetarian option, substitute chicken stock with vegetable broth and omit chicken bouillon powder.