Egg Drop Soup

Egg drop soup is Chinese comfort in its simplest form — a golden, savory broth swirled with delicate silk ribbons of egg, finished with sesame oil and scallions. It comes together in 20 minutes flat and soothes like nothing else.

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Servings

4 servings

Calories

140

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup silken tofu, cubed (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring the chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a medium pot. Stir in the soy sauce, ginger, white pepper, and salt.
2. Add the corn and silken tofu, if using, and simmer 3 minutes until the corn is tender.
3. Stir the cornstarch slurry once more, then pour it into the simmering soup while stirring. Cook 1 minute until the broth turns lightly silky.
4. Reduce the heat to the barest simmer — you want lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil.
5. While stirring the soup slowly in one direction, drizzle the beaten eggs in a thin stream through the tines of a fork. The eggs will set instantly into long silk ribbons.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and most of the green onions.
7. Taste for salt and serve immediately, topped with the remaining green onions.

Pro tips

• Beat the eggs only until blended — overbeaten eggs make foam instead of ribbons.
• Keep the soup at a lazy simmer when adding eggs; a hard boil turns them rubbery.
• Drizzle the eggs slowly through fork tines for the finest, most delicate strands.
• A few drops of sesame oil right at the end keeps its nutty aroma bright.

Frequently asked questions