Clear Egg Drop Soup

[pav1]

Hello friends at Chinese-forums,

 

I thought I knew how to make egg drop soup, but now I’m not sure. I slowly pour beaten egg into simmering chicken broth and I can see that the egg is cooked immediately. When I gently stir the soup, the broth resembles mustard. Any help would be appreciated.

[DrWatson]

Are you putting in any starch elements?  I seem to recall you have to add potato or corn starch or some other "coagulating" element to thicken the broth to make it so the egg does not dilute itself in the water.

 

I can't remember when that must be added though. I'm sure if you look at some recipes online you'll find the right steps.

[pav1]

Thank you for the reply.  No, I don't use any starch.  I've made egg drop before with clear broth without using starch, but I don't know what I did differently.  Also, I've noticed that cloudy broth will sometimes clarify somewhat after the soup sits for a short amount of time.

[abcdefg]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Some recipes for egg drop soup here: https://www.thespruce.com/easy-egg-drop-soup-recipes-4071423 

 

Potato starch gives a more clear result than corn starch, but either can be used. I usually don't have potato starch on hand, and use corn starch with good results. I make it into a slurry 水淀粉 before adding it to the soup. Doesn't take much. For example, a teaspoon of corn starch diluted with a couple tablespoons of water is enough for a quart of chicken stock. 

 

On 4/13/2018 at 10:24 PM, pav1 said:

I slowly pour beaten egg into simmering chicken broth and I can see that the egg is cooked immediately. When I gently stir the soup, the broth resembles mustard. Any help would be appreciated.

 

I think what you might be doing wrong is not stirring the simmering broth in a circular motion as you slowly drizzle in the eggs. Without that rapid circular movement, you wind up with clots of boiled egg or a fine granular dispersion instead of the "flowers" that you desire. 

 

Adding the egg to the soup should be the last step before serving. Any other things you want to put in, should be stirred in before the egg drop "flowers." (In Chinese they are called "egg flowers" 蛋花。“ 

 

We have quite a few Chinese cooking tips in the food and drink section of this forum. Invite you  to have a look, try some recipes, and make contributions of your own. 

 

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/52430-alphabetical-index-of-food-articles/

 

 

[pav1]

Thank you very much for the helpful info, I'll let you know how the soup turns out next time.

[abcdefg]

You're welcome. 

 

Do you make your own chicken stock, or use some from a carton or can? I frequently buy small roast chickens at the grocery store when I want a quick meal. They cost 13 or 14 Yuan and have good flavor. Always save the bones in my freezer. When I accumulate 5 or 6 carcasses, I cook them into a rich stock using my pressure cooker. Cycle them through a high heat program for 25 minutes and do that 3 or 4 times to extract all the flavor from the bones. 

 

Chicken drumsticks, the small part, are often very cheap in the supermarket, where one buys them frozen. At times I'll buy a handful of those and add them to the above "roast bones" stock. Peel off the meat after the first pressure cycle. Chop it and add it to the finished soup later. Same strategy with wing tips, necks or backs when one can find them. 

 

Then I freeze some of that rich stock in chunks using coffee cups or small rice bowls. Seal each one in a plastic zip-lock bag. Great for adding a little extra flavor to an otherwise boring soup.

 

Furthermore, once can buy soup base here that actually isn't bad.  Sometimes I'll use a tablespoon of that to perk up some weak stock. And there is always "ji jing" 鸡精 as well. Granular chicken bouillon. The drawback is that it has MSG, so one must use it with a light  hand. The liquid chicken essence also has some MSG 味精 and some salt 食盐, but (I think) not as much as the granules. (Only my impression; no science.) 

 

I make a lot of soup using chicken stock and various combinations of fresh vegetables. Often add left over rice or some noodles to give it more body and substance. A favorite in the winter is chicken rice soup with fresh corn that I peel off the cob with my own knife. 

 

     

 

 

 

 

[pav1]

Just made some soup and it worked.  I used broth from a carton, which is what I usually use, with no starch.  I kept the broth moving in a circular motion and slowly poured the egg in, (this seems to be the answer).  Thanks again!

[abcdefg]

Glad it worked! You are very welcome! Return when you have time. 

[RjMaan]

You should ask your friends about the recipe of soup.