easy egg drop soup

By moninikole

Notes
The speed at which the soup is swirling and how quickly you pour in the eggs will determine the size of the egg “threads.” If you want larger or thicker egg threads, don’t stir the soup as fast and pour the egg in faster. Do NOT pour the eggs into a rapidly boiling soup or else it will break apart into very small pieces and you will not have egg threads.

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil $0.08
• 2 inches fresh ginger $0.23
• 4 oz. fresh button mushrooms (optional) $0.99
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach (optional) $1.13
• 1/2 bunch green onions $0.35
• 2 Tbsp chicken base $0.40
• 8 cups water $0.00
• 1 Tbsp corn starch $0.06
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce $0.06
• 2 large eggs $0.47

Preparation

Step 1

Peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler and then grate it into the soup pot using a fine cheese grater. Slice the green onions and mushrooms. Add them to the pot along with 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until slightly softened (5 minutes).
Add 8 cups of water, 2 Tbsp. of chicken soup base (or 2 large bouillon cubes), and one Tbsp of soy sauce. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a rolling boil.
While waiting for the soup to boil, make a slurry with the corn starch and just enough water to dissolve it (about 2 Tbsp). When the soup reaches a boil, stir in the corn starch slurry. This will thicken the soup very slightly, giving it just a tad more body than plain broth.
Whisk the two eggs in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water. Turn the heat from the soup off and wait for it to stop boiling (one minute or less). Using a large spoon, swirl the soup in the pot and slowly drizzle in the whisked eggs. Do not stir the soup for at least one minute while the eggs set. Allow the swirling current to slow to a stop on its own.