This soup was simple, quick and satisfying. Perfect for a weeknight winter meal, after a long day at work. It turned out to be a spur of the moment soup when I got home tonight, and strangely enough I had all of these ingredients on hand, which almost never happens to me. I’ll chalk it up to a leap-day miracle (or some pre-birthday luck for this almost leap-year baby).
I ended up cutting the ginger in 1/16-1/8″ slices. Thin enough that the flavor would easily spread though the stock, but thick enough that they would be easy to remove later.
The fresh-cut scallions and white pepper really made the soup. I think that some sliced mushrooms would have also been nice as some of the other epi commenters had noted, but Mike isn’t too fond of fungi so I skipped that.
Ginger Scallion Egg-Drop Soup
Adapted slightly from Gourmet | December 2010 Makes 2 servings (light main course) or 4 servings (first course) active time: 15 min – total time: 45 min6 scallions, divided 2 cups water 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 (2-inch) piece peeled ginger, sliced 1 skinless boneless chicken breast half (6 to 8 ounces) 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional, but highly recommended) Accompaniment: Asian sesame oil Additional white pepper for sprinkling
Smash 3 scallions and cut into 2-inch pieces, then put in a 2-quart saucepan with water, broth, ginger, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then poach chicken at a bare simmer, uncovered, until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. My chicken breast was just under 8oz, and I found that mine took slightly longer to poach, so I covered it for 5 minutes to help it along. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let cool slightly. While cooling, let broth steep, covered, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice remaining 3 scallions into rounds and shred chicken.
Discard scallions and ginger from broth and bring to a brisk simmer. Add beaten eggs in a slow stream, stirring constantly with a spoon or fork. Remove from heat and stir in scallions, chicken, and white pepper (if using). Serve drizzled with sesame oil.
* Next time, I will also try adding 1 teaspoon of soy sauce to the stock for some additional flavor depth.
Stephen Kilpatrick says
Looks great! I’ve made similar recipes, but I’ll have to try the ginger next time. Make sure you keep Mike fed!
Dana Mary says
I really like how easy and delicious this looks! & I love soup in the winter but I don’t like Ginger. What should I swap it for? Any ideas?
heather says
Spanks; I’m shocked you don’t like ginger! Maybe some garlic or elephant garlic cloves would work.