Chinese Egg Drop Soup

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This silky 20 minute Chinese egg drop soup is inspired by our egg drop soup served at my parent’s restaurant. Silken tofu is cooked in a sweet chicken broth. Cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the soup as well as make the smooth & thick texture. Top it off with green onions for a warm comfort meal!

At our Chinese restaurant, we used to serve egg drop soup to every customer that ordered lunch. It was complimentary but everyone thought the dish tasted delicious nonetheless. This seafood egg drop soup is slightly fancier than the restaurant version because of the shrimp and crab. The dish can be versatile and some ingredients can be optional if you don’t like seafood.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR CHINESE EGG DROP SOUP:

The type of ingredients will affect the look of your chinese egg drop soup. I made some notes if you were to make slight substitutions to the ingredients in the recipe.

The one we make is paler in color (more white than yellow) because we used egg whites instead of a whole egg. The taste is lighter but the texture is still very creamy from the cornstarch slurry. I also recommend adding the imitation crab (if you have real crab meat, it will taste even better!) makes the soup taste slightly sweeter and more umami.

soup:

• egg whites or whole egg
• unsalted chicken broth
• water
• soft or silken tofu – Considering that the soup is very smooth, using extra soft tofu is a must for silky texture!
• salt – adjust according to your taste and chicken broth! Especially if every chicken broth has different sodium levels.
• shrimp – slice in smaller pieces (aim for how large the tofu size is!)
• imitation crab or real crab meat
• sesame oil
• corn starch slurry

garnish:

• green onions
• cilantro
• white pepper (optional)

STEPS TO MAKE THE CHINESE EGG DROP SOUP:

• Step 1. Prepare ingredients by cutting ½ block of tofu in small cubes. Then, chop 5-6 shrimps and 3-4 sticks of imitation crab in pieces.
• Step 2. Make corn starch slurry by mixing 2 tbs corn starch with ¼ cup water.
• Step 3. Separate your egg whites from your egg yolks and then whisk the egg whites a few times. (You can use a whole egg if you like ◡̈ )
• Step 4. In a pot on medium heat, add 1 can of chicken broth and 1.5 cups of water. Once the water is boiling, gently add tofu and ½ teaspoon salt. Then, add shrimp and imitation crab.
• Step 5. Slowly pour your cornstarch slurry in the soup while mixing with the spoon. Boil for a minute and you will see that the soup has thickened.
• Step 6. Next, pour your slightly beaten eggs in the soup while mixing with the spoon. Boil for one more minute and add ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil.
• Step 7. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and white pepper powder. Hope you enjoy!

More delicious soups on a cold day:

• korean tofu soup – soft and silky tofu cooked in an anchovy broth with red chili powder (gochugaru)
• fermented soybean paste stew – korean fermented soup called doenjang jjigae is a funky umami soup with tofu and veggies
• hong kong macaroni soup – macaroni cooked in chicken broth with spam for a hong kong diner feel!

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