Egg Drop Soup
This light, silky soup has tender ribbons of egg suspended in fragrant chicken broth with ginger, scallion, and a touch of sesame oil. It is quick, soothing, and deeply savory despite its short ingredient list.
Ingredients
Broth base
- 700 mlchicken broth
- 10 gfresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 10 mllight soy sauce
- 5 mltoasted sesame oil
- 0.5 gwhite pepper
- 1 gfine salt
Slurry and egg
- 8 gcornstarch
- 20 mlcold water
- 2large eggs
Finish
- 20 gscallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- 1
Prepare everything before heating: slice the ginger thinly, slice the scallions, beat the eggs thoroughly in a bowl until the whites and yolks are fully combined, and mix the cornstarch with the cold water into a smooth slurry with no lumps.
- 2
Pour the chicken broth into a small saucepan and add the ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer for about 2 minutes so the ginger lightly perfumes the broth.
- 3
Stir the slurry again just before using, then pour it slowly into the simmering broth while stirring. Simmer for 30-60 seconds until the soup is just lightly thickened; it should still be fluid, not gloopy.
- 4
Lower the heat so the soup is barely simmering. Stir the broth in one direction to create a gentle whirlpool, then slowly drizzle in the beaten eggs in a thin stream. Stop stirring for a few seconds to let delicate ribbons form, then give one gentle stir if you want shorter strands.
- 5
Turn off the heat, remove and discard the ginger slices if you prefer a cleaner texture, then stir in most of the scallions. Ladle into bowls, top with the remaining scallions, and serve immediately while hot.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For finer egg threads, pour the egg from a jug or along the tines of a fork in a thin stream.
- •If your broth is salty, add the soy sauce gradually and taste before adding all the salt.
- •A clear, gentle simmer is the key: a hard boil breaks the egg into cloudy bits instead of soft ribbons.
- •For a heartier version, add 50-70 g cooked shredded chicken just before serving.
Background
Egg drop soup, known in Chinese as dan hua tang, is a simple home-style soup found in many regional Chinese kitchens. Its defining technique is streaming beaten egg into hot broth to create delicate “egg flowers,” a method valued for speed, frugality, and comforting texture.
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