10 Minute Homemade Egg Drop Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for MSG in egg drop soup? ›

A substitute for MSG in egg drop soup is to use umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, nutritional yeast, or chicken or mushroom bouillon for added depth of flavor without MSG.

It's okay if you have to adjust while cooking – if it's too thin, add more cornstarch. If it's too thick, add more water, stock, or broth.

Egg drop soup is a popular takeout staple at Chinese restaurants made with wispy beaten eggs in chicken broth. It's normally seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper, thickened with a cornstarch slurry, and garnished with chopped green onions.

Soy sauce and other commercial sauces

Soy sauce is a good substitute, rich in umami. As with broth cubes, first check the list of ingredients to ensure that there is no MSG added. Oyster sauce, fish sauce (nam pla), and Worcestershire sauce can also be used to enhance the taste of dishes.

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

With the egg drop soup, you get cholesterol and saturated fat from the eggs in high-sodium chicken broth. The hot and sour soup has tofu and vegetables, but is loaded with sodium-rich soy sauce. Which is worse? At about 100 calories per cup, "calorically, they're okay," says Klatell.

Why did my egg drop soup not make ribbons? ›

In order to get those signature ribbons, you have to pour your whisked eggs very, very slowly (but consistently) into the soup in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Use a whisk, or get authentic and stir continuously and fairly speedily with chopsticks.

How to Store Egg Drop Soup. Store your leftover egg drop soup for up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

It is: Rich in Protein: Eggs, the main ingredient in egg drop soup, are an excellent source of high-quality protein, as is bone broth (homemade or store-bought), which usually contains 8-10 g protein per cup. You can further boost the soup's protein content by adding shredded, cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu.

Fermented foods.

Foods such as soy sauce, kimchi (fermented vegetables), miso (soybean paste), and natto (fermented whole soybeans) are fermented. The fermentation process, like the curing process, also breaks down glutamate into free glutamate and gives a stronger umami taste.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer that improves the savoury experience of foods and is the prototypical chemical associated with the 'umami' taste⁽, ^{1 – 3 )}.

Chinese food and soups contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) as the main addictive ingredient. A sensitive individual may suffer from headache, giddiness, sweating, abdominal pain, and urticaria within a few hours of consumption of MSG.