How To Make Egg Drop Soup with Homemade Chinese Noodles

Quick and easy to make, egg drop soup is delicious whether you serve it a la carte or alongside additional Chinese food. Egg drop soup can be quickly put together when you have a cold and a lot less time consuming than making the traditional chicken soup.

As with fried rice, the amounts of vegetables you use (celery, celery leaves, peas, mushrooms) is up to you. If you want more of a broth, use fewer vegetables; however, the celery leaves are essential for the great taste. So be sure to purchase celery that has leaves on the stalks.

The ginger can’t be left out. As I wrote before in the hub Chinese Food: How to Make Fried Rice, ginger is sold in grocery stores in the produce section as a very large root. Don’t hesitate to break a small piece off. One small piece of ginger goes a long way and buying the entire root is somewhat expensive.

Here is the basic recipe for egg drop soup. Sometimes I add a handful of egg noodles when the egg drop soup comes to a boil and boil according to package directions. Sometimes I add a few peas when the soup is finished, usually from the remaining can of peas I used for the fried rice. You can also add some slices of mushrooms instead of peas.

2 cans chicken broth (I use low sodium so I can control the salt)

1 small slice of ginger, (if you double the recipe, simply use a larger slice of ginger)

Celery leaves, chopped (I use enough to cover the top of the saucepan completely)

Celery, cut into small pieces, how much you use is up to you. I usually use all of the smaller portions that the leaves were on. (I suppose the mini-stalks.)

1 green onion, sliced thin

1-2 drops sesame oil

2 eggs, beaten with dash of white pepper and salt

White pepper and salt to taste

Soy sauce

Pour chicken broth into saucepan. Add ginger, celery leaves, celery, green onion, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Bring all ingredients to a boil with the lid on. Turn the heat down so it becomes a quick simmer. Keep the lid on and simmer for about 5 minutes. If you want a few egg noodles, add them at the boil and cook according to package directions. Also, if you want a slight crunch in the egg drop soup, instead of adding the celery before the boil, add them during the simmer.

Remove from heat. Stir the soup in a clockwise motion and slowly pour in the eggs. Add a dash of salt and white pepper to taste. Remove the ginger.

Serve with soy sauce and noodles.

If you happen to have some wonton wraps or egg roll wraps on hand, they make for some great Chinese noodles. Simply cut the wraps into small strips, about 1/2-inches wide. Heat approximately one inch of vegetable oil in a large frying pan under medium heat. I don’t use a thermometer, so I just drop in a noodle and if it sizzles right away, it is ready to go.

The strips take about 3 minutes and will burn very suddenly.  They won’t be as dark as packaged noodles, and if it starts taking on a slight brown color, you are very near to burning them. They must be flipped in the middle of cooking. Fry the strips a handful at a time. If you fry too many strips, they stick together and cook unevenly. Use a slotted spoon to remove the noodles. Drain on paper towels and serve in a bowl.