Chinese Egg Drop Soup with Noodles
Gourmet, February 2002

"The literal translation of the Chinese name is 'egg flower soup.' Egg Drop Soup is a soup of beaten eggs and chicken broth. Condiments such as table salt, black pepper, and scallions are also commonly added. The soup is finished by adding a thin stream of beaten eggs to the boiling broth, creating thin, silken strands of cooked egg that float in the soup.

"It usually includes a green onion garnish, and sometimes frozen peas, tofu or beans sprouts are added to the stock.  Though egg drop soup is not traditionally made with noodles, we love the texture and substance they add. If you prefer, you can omit the noodles."

You can also make egg drop soup with corn, chicken, noodles, cabbage, and other veggies or additional spices....it's totally customizable!

Also see:
Cream Corn Soup with Crabmeat

5 cups chicken stock, or 4 cups chicken broth plus 1 cup water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 cup dried fine egg noodles (1 oz), optional and not traditional
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, or to taste

Bring stock, soy sauce, Sherry, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Remove ginger and garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Stir in noodles and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 4 minutes. Stirring soup in a circular motion, add eggs in a slow, steady stream. Simmer, undisturbed, until strands of egg are cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in scallions (to taste) and sesame oil. Season with salt.

Makes 4 servings

Tips for making Egg Drop Soup:

• Lightly beat the egg so that no bubbles form
• Turn off the heat the minute you begin pouring in the egg (this produces silkier threads)  
• Pour the egg in a very slow stream (pouring it through the tines of a fork from several inches above the pot is a good way to keep the stream slow and steady)
• Begin stirring as soon as you start pouring in the egg
• To make shreds or threads, stir rapidly for at least 1 minute
• Add in 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Or 5 drops yellow food coloring for 4 cups chicken stock. Using turmeric or yellow food coloring gives the soup that rich restaurant-style yellow color, but this is optional.
• If you want the soup a little thicker, you can add a tablespoon or so of corn starch mixed with water before adding the eggs.

Tip from Kenji López-Alt from Serious Eats: "The egg flower, as it's referred to in Chinese, is really simple to do. The key is to swirl the soup in a lazy vortex while slowly drizzling in the eggs, which are scrambled with a bit of cornstarch (the starch impedes protein connections, preventing the eggs from getting rubbery). The best way to drizzle in the egg is to hold either two chopsticks or a fork across the top of a small bowl and drizzle the egg slowly through the tines. It's essential that the soup be hot, but not boiling as you do this. You want the egg to set into relatively large curds, that you can then break up to the desired size by stirring more or less vigorously after you drizzle it." He uses 1 tsp. cornstarch for every 2 eggs.