This soup is very easy to make and very delicious. It is in fact so easy to make that it really is the sort of thing you can summon the will to cook even when you arrive home from work hungry. I originally made it out of nostalgia for a soup I had in college that endows its eater with good soup manners. I think it would work just as nicely with beef broth.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 12 sprigs cilantro
- 1 3-to-4-inch piece of ginger, sliced
- 20 or so peppercorns
- 1 pinch dried shrimp or scallops (optional)
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 2 eggs
- 4 scallion stalks, white and light green parts, sliced thinly on a bias
- Freshly ground white or black pepper
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
200 calories; 7 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 133 milligrams cholesterol; 517 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
3 to 4 servings
Preparation
- Put chicken stock, water, garlic, cilantro, ginger, peppercorns and (if you are using) dried shrimp or scallops in a pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Let cook for 20 minutes.
- Strain broth into another pot, taste and adjust salt. Bring back to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with Shaoxing wine or sherry. Whisk eggs with remaining teaspoon cornstarch.
- Whisk wine-cornstarch mixture into soup until combined. With the soup on a low simmer, stir once with a spoon to make a slight current. Pour in the egg-cornstarch mixture, through the tines of a fork, letting it form ribbons. Allow 10 seconds to set, then stir gently to break them up as you like.
- Top thickly with scallions and ground pepper, and serve.
30 minutes
Dining and Cooking