Egg Drop Soup

Updated Oct. 28, 2024

Egg Drop Soup
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(474)
Comments
Read comments

This soup is very easy to make and very delicious. It is in fact so easy to make that it really is the sort of thing you can summon the will to cook even when you arrive home from work hungry. I originally made it out of nostalgia for a soup I had in college that endows its eater with good soup manners. I think it would work just as nicely with beef broth. —Tamar Adler

Featured in: A Manners Manifesto

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings
  • 4cups chicken stock
  • ½cup water
  • 1clove garlic, sliced
  • 12sprigs cilantro
  • 13-to-4-inch piece of ginger, sliced
  • 20or so peppercorns
  • 1pinch dried shrimp or scallops (optional)
  • Salt
  • 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 2eggs
  • 4scallion stalks, white and light green parts, sliced thinly on a bias
  • Freshly ground white or black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

155 calories; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 783 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put chicken stock, water, garlic, cilantro, ginger, peppercorns and (if you are using) dried shrimp or scallops in a pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let cook for 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Strain broth into another pot, taste and adjust salt. Bring back to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with Shaoxing wine or sherry. Whisk eggs with remaining teaspoon cornstarch.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk wine-cornstarch mixture into soup until combined. With the soup on a low simmer, stir once with a spoon to make a slight current. Pour in the egg-cornstarch mixture, through the tines of a fork, letting it form ribbons. Allow 10 seconds to set, then stir gently to break them up as you like.

  4. Step 4

    Top thickly with scallions and ground pepper, and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
474 user ratings
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Comments

This went straight into my Favorites folder. So easy and sooooo good. I used Better Than Bouillon's vegetarian chicken-style base and it was perfect. Quick enough to make as a comforting breakfast when you're under the weather.

This is even faster if you use home made chicken stock to which garlic, ginger or other compatible flavoring have been added initially.

Adding a bit of sesame oil and some sweet corn to the pot near the end, and a handful of chopped spinach to each bowl, while very inauthentic, makes this soup a little more hearty - a perfect lunch on a cold day.

So good on an upset stomach. Used homemade chicken broth, no sherry or dried shrimp. Added a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce. So easy and so satisfying. The aromatics are the key.

This soup is a new favorite! I am a vegetarian so I used vegetable broth and added a star anise to the peppercorns to make up for lack of shrimp flavor. Delicious and so easy! I’m obsessed.

I moved to a rural area—the nearest Chinese restaurant or takeout is 3 hours away. I miss Chinese food dearly. I had great hopes for this recipe, but it didn’t satisfy my craving. For one thing, I did not get ribbons of egg, more like curds. I’d have to see a video, perhaps. The flavor want quite right either. [Sigh.]

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Credits

Adapted from a recipe sent to me by Emily Lai, chef and owner of Masak-Masak in San Francisco.

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