Egg Drop Soup (Don Tong)

Egg drop soup is one of those Chinese restaurant staples that’s almost embarrassingly easy to make at home. Chicken broth seasoned with salt and a touch of sugar, thickened slightly with cornstarch, and finished with a beaten egg drizzled in drop by drop to form those delicate, wispy ribbons.

The cornstarch slurry is what gives the broth its characteristic silky body. It goes in first, before the egg, and the broth needs to be slightly thickened before you start adding the egg. Without it, the egg disperses into a cloudy mess instead of forming distinct ribbons.

Pouring the egg very slowly is the technique that makes or breaks this soup. Drop by drop, stirring constantly, so each thread of egg sets immediately in the hot broth. Rush it and you get scrambled egg chunks floating in soup.

Kitchen Tips

• Remove the pot from the heat before adding the egg. The residual heat is enough to cook the egg without toughening it.
• Beat the egg until frothy. Frothy egg creates lighter, more delicate ribbons than a barely whisked egg.
• Use homemade chicken broth if you have it. With so few ingredients, the broth quality determines the whole flavor.
• A pinch of white pepper stirred in at the end adds authentic restaurant flavor.

Variations

• Corn egg drop soup: Add a can of creamed corn to the broth before thickening for a popular Chinese-American variation.
• Tofu egg drop soup: Float small cubes of silken tofu in the finished soup for added protein and texture.