How to Make Easy Egg Drop Soup

This recipe is adapted from my book, The Wok (you can get signed and personalized copies here.)

I wasn't always a fan of egg drop soup. My only experience was from those all-day lunch special steam tables, where it morphed into a thick, neon-yellow mess with rubbery egg bits, the occasional raw mushroom, and–if you were especially unlucky–a bit of "skin" from the top of the tureen. It was... unpleasant.

It wasn't until I tasted a lighter, thinner version of the soup, lightly thickened, and bursting with chicken and egg flavor, accented by ginger, scallion, and white pepper that I realized what it could be. The eggs should form delicate, silky ribbons, varying in size, adding both texture and richness to the beautifully simple soup.

The secret to great egg drop soup is in two key steps. First, a great broth. You can make it fro scratch (and my book has a recipe), or you can start with store-bought broth simmered with just a few aromatics–ginger, scallions, and white peppercorns–for 15 to 30 minutes to brighten its falvor. For an extra layer of depth, you can add a slice of Jihua ham or the scraps of some prosciutto for a deeper, richer flavor.

Second, mastering the 'egg flower.' It's simpler than it sounds. Create a gentle whirlpool in the hot (but not boiling) broth. Then, slowly drizzle in scrambled eggs mixed with a touch of cornstarch – this prevents rubbery eggs. A trick I like to use is to spread the eggs with pair chopsticks or a fork laid across a small bowl that you flick rapidly back and forth, flinging the egg into the broth like Jackson Pollock splattering a canvas. This creates a fine stream of irregular curds that get suspended in the soup and remain tender as they cook.

These days, I enjoy both the lighter, traditional Chinese version of the soup and the more heavily-thickened Chinese-American version (I still do not care for the skin-on kind in the steam table).Yield 

Easy Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4 to 6 

Active Time: 15 minutes 

Total Time: 30 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

For the Broth:

11⁄2 quarts (1.5 l) homemade or store-bought chicken stock

4 scallions, roughly chopped

a few slices of ginger

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons (15 g) cornstarch 

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

4 large eggs

2 scallions, chopped 

1. Bring the chicken stock, rough chopped scallions, ginger slices, and white peppercorns to a bare simmer in a wok or saucepan. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Fish the solids out with a fine mesh strainer and discard. Keep the broth hot.

2. Combine 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (12.5 g) of the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water in a small bowl and mix with a fork until homogenous. Whisk into the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

3. Whisk together the eggs, a pinch of salt, and the remaining teaspoon (2.5 g) cornstarch in a small bowl until homogenous. Swirl the soup once with a large spoon or ladle, then, holding a pair of chopsticks or the tines of a fork on the edge of the bowl, slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup, shaking the fork or chopsticks back and forth rapidly to flick the egg mixture as it drizzles. Allow the soup to sit for 15 seconds, then stir gently to break up the egg to the desired size. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve.