This Chinese home-style seaweed egg drop soup recipe is healthy and very quick to make. Many Chinese families serve soup with every meal, and this recipe is a common go-to!
It’s just as popular as another common variation (and a reader favorite), tomato egg drop soup.
Usually made with water and chicken powder for speed/convenience, this soup is truly superior when made with homemade chicken stock or my chicken/pork stock. If you have some in the freezer ready to go, now’s the perfect time to use it!
To make it vegetarian, use a store-bought veggie stock, or better yet, Sarah’s Asian Vegetable Stock, and omit the dried shrimp!
Types of Dried Seaweed
Did you know that all seaweed is edible? That’s right––there are currently no known poisonous seaweeds in existence. We can eat it all! Today, seaweed is farmed and harvested across Asia.
It’s highly nutritious, containing iodine to support thyroid function, as well as other vitamins, minerals, and even antioxidants.
That’s the bright side. The potential downside is that when you go to dried ingredients aisle at the Asian grocery store, there are seemingly countless seaweed options to choose from, all labeled with different words and terms, including “kelp,” “laver,” “kombu,” “moss,” “nori,” and more.
For this recipe, look for seaweed labeled “dried laver” and sold in large round cakes. You can also find it online. Don’t mistake it for the roasted, salted seaweed sold in small index card sized sheets, which is meant to be eaten dry as a snack.
Seaweed Egg Drop Soup Recipe Instructions
Toast the dried seaweed in a clean, dry wok over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Add the chicken stock and water to a wok or pot, and bring it to a boil. Add the dried shrimp flakes (if using), sesame oil, white pepper, and toasted seaweed. Stir and bring to a boil again.
With the stock boiling, stir in the beaten eggs, and then the chopped scallions.
Bring to a boil once again.
Serve immediately.
Seaweed Egg Drop Soup (紫菜蛋花汤)
Ingredients
- 5 g dried seaweed
- 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, 950 ml)
- 1 cup water (235 ml; can replace with more stock)
- 5 g dried shrimp flakes (optional)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 scallion (thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Toast the dried seaweed in a clean, dry wok over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add the chicken stock and water to a wok or pot, and bring it to a boil. Add the dried shrimp flakes (if using), sesame oil, white pepper, and toasted seaweed. Stir and bring to a boil again.
- With the stock boiling, stir in the beaten eggs, and then the chopped scallions. Bring to a boil once again, and serve immediately.