Egg Drop Soup

Egg Drop Soup takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, and the best part happens in the final minute. I slowly pour the beaten egg into the simmering broth and watch it turn into soft ribbons. I usually serve a small bowl before rice and something fried because it makes the meal feel more complete. My chicken and corn soup uses the same technique, with sweet corn and shredded chicken added to the pot.

I first posted this recipe during a cold fall in Chicago, when a quick pot of soup was enough to warm up the kitchen. I have adjusted it since then by adding more egg, a little more cornstarch, and white pepper and sesame oil at the end. The egg is the part most people worry about because it can turn into small lumps instead of ribbons. The trick is to pour it slowly. Once you see the ribbons form, the rest is easy. For something similar with more ingredients in the bowl, try hototay.

Keep the broth at a gentle simmer and stir it slowly in one direction. Pour the beaten egg in a thin stream, then leave it alone for a few seconds before stirring again. That short pause gives the egg time to set into long ribbons instead of breaking apart.

What is Egg Drop Soup?

Egg Drop Soup is a Chinese soup made by streaming beaten eggs into simmering seasoned broth, where they set into thin ribbons. Chicken broth is the usual base, lightly thickened with a cornstarch slurry and finished with white pepper and scallions.

The Chinese name is dan hua tang, which translates to egg flower soup. It describes the thin strands of egg that spread through the broth. It traveled with Chinese cooking into American Chinese restaurants, where it became a common starter and picked up a thicker, more golden character than the version served in China. There the broth runs thinner and the garnishes shift by region, with tofu, bean sprouts, or corn turning up depending on where you are eating.

You can see the same Chinese influence in Filipino soups such as pancit molo and lomi. Egg Drop Soup shows up as a starter more often than a main course, served hot in small bowls before the rice and the fried dishes arrive. It is also commonly served when someone is under the weather.

Ingredients

• Chicken broth – Use a good chicken broth, since with so few ingredients most of the flavor comes from it. A chicken cube dissolved in water works well here, and one cube is enough for the pot.
• Eggs – Three large eggs, lightly beaten until the yolks and whites are combined.
• Ginger – Grated, about a teaspoon. Fresh ginger gives the broth a brighter flavor, though ground ginger is fine in a pinch.
• Cornstarch – Two tablespoons, dissolved in cold water before it goes anywhere near the pot.
• Ground white pepper – The seasoning that gives the soup its restaurant-style flavor. See the note below.
• Sesame oil – Toasted, and only half a teaspoon. It is strong enough to take over the whole pot if you pour with a heavy hand.
• Green onions – Chopped, with half going into the soup and half on top.
• Salt – Add it after the broth is thickened. Broth brands run from barely salted to very salty, so taste first.

White pepper is worth buying for this one. It comes from the same berry as black pepper with the outer skin removed, so it tastes earthier and slightly fermented instead of sharp. That is the flavor most people recognize from restaurant egg drop soup, and it turns up again in hot and sour soup. Look for it ground, in a small jar, in the spice aisle or any Asian grocery. No white pepper on hand? See the substitutions below.

Making Egg Drop Soup comes down to timing the last two minutes. Measure everything and set it beside the stove before you start, because once the broth is thickened the rest moves fast.

1. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves completely and nothing white settles at the bottom.
2. Pour the chicken broth into a cooking pot and add the grated ginger.
3. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Stir the cornstarch mixture again and pour it in slowly while stirring the broth.

The slurry separates while it sits, so stir it again right before it goes in. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the soup thickens slightly. It should coat the back of a spoon lightly rather than turn into gravy.

1. Add the white pepper and sesame oil, then stir.
2. Taste the broth and add salt as needed.

Season it now, while the broth is still smooth and easy to stir. Taste a spoonful while the broth is hot, then adjust the salt if needed.

1. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer, with small bubbles breaking at the edge rather than a rolling boil.
2. Stir slowly in one direction with a ladle to create a light whirlpool.
3. Drizzle the beaten eggs into the moving broth in a thin stream.
4. Let them cook undisturbed for about 15 seconds, then stir gently once or twice to separate the ribbons.

If the soup turns cloudy, pour the egg in a thinner stream and keep the broth moving slowly next time.

1. Add half of the green onions and stir.
2. Transfer to serving bowls and top with the rest.

Serve it right away, while the ribbons are still soft and the green onions are bright. Soup left in the pot keeps thickening as it sits. For a heartier bowl, try my corn soup with quail eggs, which uses the same egg technique with cream-style corn.

What to Serve with Egg Drop Soup

• Chicken and Egg Fried Rice – The soup is light, so a rice dish makes the meal complete. I cook fried rice in the morning using rice left over from the night before.
• Black Pepper Chicken – The peppery sauce is rich and a clear soup on the side keeps the plate from feeling heavy.
• Pinsec Frito – Break the fried wontons over the soup for a crisp topping.
• Lumpia – Crisp and salty against a soft, mild soup.
• Steamed white rice – Spoon the soup over a small mound of it when you want something closer to a full meal.

Storage

This soup keeps for a few days. The ribbons firm up a little and the broth may thin slightly, so it tastes closest to fresh within the first day or two.

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Let the soup cool before covering and refrigerating it.
• Freezer: I make this fresh rather than freezing it. Cornstarch-thickened broth separates as it thaws, and a fresh pot made in 15 minutes comes out better than a thawed one.
• Reheating: Warm it slowly over low heat, stirring often to keep the texture close to fresh and the ribbons whole.

More Filipino and Asian Soup Recipes

• Spicy Wonton Soup – Pork wontons and rice noodles in a chili oil broth for when you want something spicy instead of a mild soup
• Chicken Mami – Filipino chicken noodle soup with fresh noodles and shredded chicken
• Miso Soup – A Japanese soup built on dashi, silken tofu, and wakame seaweed
• Chicken Soup with Misua and Patola – Thin flour noodles and loofah in a rich chicken broth
• Beef Pho Noodle Soup – A long-simmered Vietnamese broth for a weekend pot

• Chicken broth – Vegetable broth works and keeps the soup meatless. Water with a chicken cube is fine as well, and one cube handles the whole pot.
• Ground white pepper – Use half the amount of ground black pepper. Black pepper tastes sharper, and you will see the specks in the broth.
• Cornstarch – Potato starch or tapioca starch thicken about the same. Use the same amount and dissolve it in cold water the same way.
• Fresh ginger – Ground ginger works. Use about a quarter teaspoon and add it with the broth so it has time to flavor the soup.
• Turmeric – Optional. A small pinch can deepen the yellow color without noticeably changing the taste.
• Silken tofu – More an addition than a swap. Cut it into small cubes and slide them in before the egg.

Egg Drop Soup is ready as soon as the ribbons float and the green onions are still bright green. Ladle it out while it is hot, since the broth keeps thickening the longer it sits in the pot. I like serving this with rice and something fried on the side.