A thick, warm soup on the table in 15 minutes! This Chinese Corn Soup, also known as Egg Drop Soup, will blow your mind. It tastes just like what you get at Chinese restaurants, is so fast to make and you don’t even need to chop a single thing. The wonders of a can of creamed corn. Watch the cooking video and see!
Sometimes, I get the very best recipes from the most unexpected sources. Like from a sassy lady in Tennessee USA, the wonderful Dorothy, all the way over on the other side of the world who I met through my blog and has provided me with some incredible recipes that readers can’t get enough of. Like her epic Easiest Ever MOIST Apple Cake and her 5 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (my friends go nuts over these – excuse the pun).
We – well, she 🙂 – are working on an epic Thanksgiving menu that I’m so looking forward to sharing here on RecipeTin Eats!
As for this Chinese Corn soup? Well, it came from a friend of mine who has never been a fan of cooking. Loves the eating part, not so much a fan of the cooking part. 🙂
I find it oddly amusing that the soup I make most frequently came from my friend who cooks the least. But it is befitting, I guess, because this Chinese Corn Soup is definitely the fastest soup I know how to make – hence why she knew it and hence why I make it so often!
I always have little bags of shredded cooked chicken in the freezer so I almost always throw that in, which is why I am sharing this Chinese Corn Soup with chicken in it it.
And actually, I usually go one step further than that and throw in some vegetables soo. I especially like adding leafy Chinese greens, like bok choy and Chinese broccoli, or even normal broccoli or broccolini. It fills it out and makes this a complete meal.
But for the sake of providing the true base recipe, I’ve kept this straight forward, with just chicken. But in reality, I’d have bits of carrot, chopped zucchini or other bits and bobs I find in my fridge!
If you watch the cooking video below the recipe, you will see how I make this without using a chopping board at all. Because sometimes – more often that you probably expect – it is just all too hard to even chop up greens.
I actually posted this recipe way back in June 2014, over 2 years ago when I just started this blog when it was pretty much just my mother reading it!! Patience has never been my greatest virtue, and I shared some of my very best recipes way back then.
2 1/2 years on, my photography and video skills have somewhat improved so I really wanted to reshare this. It was sad, thinking about this sitting in my archives with such terrible photos, with no one making it because it is SO good. So so good.
There are a handful of recipes in this big wide world that are so ridiculously simple and effortless to make, yet taste so good. It is my mission to find and share all of them with you.
This one ticks all the boxes. It truly tastes so incredible – read the feedback from people who have tried it already! – Nagi x
PS Very authentic sight here – me coddling a bowl of soup with my nail-polish-free Baby Hands in my daggy grey jumper. This is how this soup happens in my home.
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken or vegetable broth/stock
- 1 can (16oz/420g) creamed corn
- 1 tsp soy sauce (all purpose or light)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry (can omit)
- 1 tsp ginger , minced or finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , minced or finely chopped
- 1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch , mixed with a splash of cold water
- 1 egg , whisked
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
- Salt and white pepper , to taste
- 3 tbsp sliced scallions / shallots (optional)
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Place broth, creamed corn, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, ginger, garlic and cornflour / water mixture in a saucepan over high heat.
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Bring to boil, then turn down the heat to medium and stir occasionally. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
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Adjust seasoning with salt, turn off heat, and slowly whisk in the egg so it cooks in "ribbons" throughout the soup. This also thickens the soup.
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Add the chicken, season with white pepper, and serve, garnished with scallions.
1. A reader mentioned that she usually finishes it off with a drizzle of sesame oil which I sometimes do too! Sesame oil goes fabulously with this 🙂
2. The soup freezes great, but it is best to leave out the cornstarch slurry and add that in when reheating. 🙂 This is because things thickened with cornstarch tend to be a bit watery once frozen (fridge is ok, no effect). Not massively watery, because the corn and egg are thickeners too, but it isn't quite as thick. Or if you are freezing leftovers, just add a little bit more cornstarch when reheating, if you want to thicken it slightly.
3. Chinese Corn Soup nutrition per serving.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Chinese Corn Soup cooking video – so you can truly see how easy this is to make, without using a knife!
LIFE OF DOZER
The way this dog carries on, one would think he is a poor tortured soul. Never mind that he gets to the beach almost every day (see end of video for evidence!), daily bone and is smothered with unconditional love. Humph.
I just made this recipe like in 15 minutes! It’s so good!!! Even better than the ones from the chines restaurants! Again , Nagi, you rock!!!!