Do as I say…
…not as I do. You know the phrase, right? If you read the directions closely below you find a careful description of how to gently whisk your beaten eggs into a pot of egg drop soup. It’s the magic of this soup, really. Well-beaten eggs are whisked together with cornstarch which coats the proteins preventing them from clumping when they hit the warm soup and a gentle stirring delivers fine, distinct threads of egg.
You’ll also see my warning against stirring to briskly which, incorporates the eggs more fully into the soup, enriching and clouding it like Greek Avogolemono or watercress soup (where you only use the yolk).
Now, look carefully at the photo above. Distinct threads occupy a slightly cloudy soup. Why? Because I made this batch live on camera and was whisking too quickly at first. The result? We slurped up every last spoonful in a matter of minutes and I’ll make more tomorrow. Maybe with a slightly steadier hand.
Egg drop soup
Serves 4-6
Egg drop soup is a light first course with with threads of cooked egg floating in chicken stock while just a few vegetables - think the scallions and tiny cubes of tofu in miso soup - add flavor without weight. It feels like a cool spring day to me: comforting enough to warm the belly but light enough that it won’t feel out of place if sunshine warms the air.
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock
3-4 round of fresh ginger
1 tsp whole white pepper corns
6-8 scallions, whites and greens separated and thinly sliced
2 cups additional vegetables cut in small pieces, see suggestions below
3-4 eggs, well beaten
2 tbs plus 1 tsp corn starch
1-2 tbs soy sauce, I like using Temari or white soy sauce
White pepper
Directions:
Warm stock in a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat. Add ginger and peppercorns. It is easiest to get them back out if you wrap them in cheesecloth or use a tea ball. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove solids.
Add scallion whites and vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, add 1 tsp corn starch to eggs and whisk well to combine and reserve. In another bowl combine remaining two tbs cornstarch with 1/2 cup stock from the soup pot and whisk well to combine. Whisk stock and corn starch back into soup and cook 1 minute longer.
Reduce soup to medium-low heat and make sure it is well below a simmer. With a whisk begin to gently stir soup in one direction. Drizzle in eggs while continuing to slowly stir soup. If you whisk too vigorously you will enrichen the soup like making Greek Avgolemono. You want distinct threads, not an evenly creamy soup. If you over whisk you should still eat every delicious bite of this soup and then keep practicing because you are going to want to make more.
Season to taste with soy sauce, salt and white pepper. Garnish with scallion greens to serve.
Vegetables: Optionally combine and add 2 cups of the following as seasonally available.
6-8 Shitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced. Add stems to soup in the first step with ginger and peppercorns and discard with other solids.
1/4 pound asparagus cut into thin rounds
1 cup micro greens, these are available at many farm and specialty markets. Play with cilantro, broccoli, Shiso, thai basil and others.
1/4 lb green beans cut in thin rounds
1/2 quart halved or quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup de-ribbed and thinly sliced spinach, kale or bok choy
TIP: egg drop soup does not reheat well so make just enough to serve. The good news it that it is so fast you won’t mind making more when you want it next.
