I often serve spinach egg drop soup for dinner, because it only uses a few simple ingredients and tastes great. The spinach is blanched until tender, then soaked in the chicken soup along with silky egg ribbons. It is a great way to eat a lot of spinach and get your daily intake of vitamin C. Not to mention, the soup itself is hearty to enjoy. The other great thing about this soup is that you can tweak the base with the ingredients you might have on hand, making it very versatile.
Spinach egg drop soup ingredients
Spinach egg drop soup uses just a few simple ingredients:
Spinach Chicken broth Ginger Green onion Eggs Cornstarch Salt and pepper Sesame oil
How to make the soup with different broth
You can totally use different soup bases for spinach egg drop soup.
Miso paste: You can use water and miso paste to make this dish vegetarian. Miso paste also has many health benefits and provides probiotics. Make sure you add it at the end after turning off the heat, because the high temperature will kill the culture in the miso. Dried shrimp: My mom’s favorite way to make daily soup is using dried shrimp. Simply use a few dried shrimp (or more for a stronger flavor) boiled in water, and the soup will be full of umami. Vegetable broth or mushroom powder: it’s another great way to make a delicious vegetarian soup.
Egg yolks vs. whites
You can use egg yolks, whites or whole eggs for spinach egg drop soup. For fine and silky egg ribbons like the soup served in Chinese restaurants, you can use 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites. I also have Chinese friends who only use egg yolks in this soup, to create beautiful golden colored egg ribbons. I used whole eggs in this recipe. But you can use any option you prefer.
How to make spinach egg drop soup
Making spinach egg drop soup is super simple:
Why blanch the spinach
My mom told me to always blanch spinach and discard the blanching water, to reduce the nitrate content from the spinach. Blanching spinach also gets rid of the astringent and bitter taste. It is especially obvious if you use bigger batches of spinach that have thicker stems and leaves. I also like to use some salt and oil while blanching the spinach, which results in a much nicer color. Lastly, it’s nice to blanch spinach and add it back later, after you make the egg ribbons. This way, the beaten eggs won’t coat the spinach, so you’ll get a much better looking soup.
How to create nice looking egg ribbons
Use the cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth first, then add the eggs. This way, the eggs will mostly float in the broth and create better ribbons, instead of falling to the bottom of the pot and clumping into bigger pieces. It’s totally optional. But if you strain the beaten eggs and discard the thick white parts, the egg ribbons will be smoother. It is very easy to pour the eggs in a thin stream using a cup with a spout. I love using my IKEA measuring cup for this step. If you do not have such a bowl or container, you can hold a fork or a pair of chopsticks against the edge of the bowl while pouring the eggs. It helps to thin out the stream of eggs. If you want the egg ribbons to be very small and thin, stir the eggs immediately after you add them. So the eggs will form into small bits. If you prefer larger pieces of egg, wait a few seconds to let some of the eggs set, before stirring the soup.
How to serve spinach egg drop soup
Spinach egg drop soup is a great soup that works with different types of dishes. You can serve it alongside your chicken chow mein to make your meal more balanced and nutritious. You can pair it with other main dishes and some steamed rice for a full dinner. It works well with sweet dishes like honey garlic pork chops, balances out a spicy dish like mapo tofu, and works well with seafood such as crispy salmon with ginger soy sauce. It even works well with non-Chinese dishes, such as rotisserie chicken and pork chops.
More delicious soup recipes
Napa Cabbage Tofu Soup (白菜豆腐汤) Chinese Corn Soup with Chicken (鸡蛋玉米羹) Winter Melon Soup with Meatballs (冬瓜丸子汤) Sister Song’s Soup (宋嫂鱼羹, Chinese Fish Soup) Lotus Root Soup With Pork Ribs (排骨莲藕汤)
