Chinese Egg and Spinach Soup Recipe
This light Chinese soup with egg and spinach is a quick dish that in China is often eaten for dinner or as a gentle meal when someone has a cold. It’s a bit like a simple vegetable soup, but the egg is poured in a thin stream into the hot broth, forming delicate ribbons. It’s simple, warming, and very homey.
This type of egg soup is a Chinese “quick classic” – it appears both in homes and in small eateries as a cheap, warming side to rice. It’s often enriched with seasonal greens, leftover tofu, or tomato, depending on what’s on hand.
A comforting, homestyle Chinese soup that comes together in minutes, with silky egg ribbons and tender spinach in a light, aromatic broth.
Why this version works
- A small amount of starch gently thickens the broth without turning it into a sticky slurry.
- Creating a whirlpool in the soup gives you long, silky ribbons of egg instead of clumps.
- The addition of fresh spinach and ginger balances the delicacy of the egg with a fresh, lightly spicy note.
Chef's tips
Beat the eggs well and pour them in a very thin stream while stirring the soup in one direction – this is the key to getting fine, delicate ribbons instead of big egg clumps.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls, topped generously with chopped chives or spring onion. A drizzle of extra soy sauce or chili oil on top works well for those who like a stronger flavor.
Watch out for
- Don’t let the soup come to a hard boil after you add the starch, or the broth will turn cloudy and gummy.
- Pour the egg in a really thin stream and don’t stir right away, otherwise you’ll end up with fine scrambled eggs.
- Add the spinach at the very end – long cooking will make it turn greyish and look unappetizing.
Substitutions
- Instead of fresh spinach, use baby pak choi, sliced into strips and added 1–2 minutes earlier.
- You can replace the vegetable broth with chicken stock if you want a deeper, more meaty flavor.
Ingredients
- vegetable or chicken broth - 900 ml
- eggs - 3 pieces
- fresh spinach washed leaves, without thick stalks - 100 g
- potato or corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water - 1 tablespoon
- soy sauce - 1.5 tablespoons
- fresh ginger slices, coin-thick - 2 slices
- sesame oil optional - 0.5 teaspoon
- chives or spring onion chopped, for serving - 2 tablespoons
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Pour the broth into a pot, add the slices of fresh ginger and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until you can clearly smell the warm, spicy aroma and the surface of the broth is only gently “trembling” around the edges.
- In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the starch with 2–3 tablespoons of very cold water into a smooth slurry with no lumps. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until the mixture is an even yellow with no streaks of egg white.
- Remove the ginger slices from the broth. Add the soy sauce, stir, and bring back to a gentle boil – small bubbles should appear around the edges, but the center shouldn’t be vigorously boiling or turning cloudy.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the starch slurry in a thin stream while stirring the soup with a spoon or whisk. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the broth thickens slightly, just enough to lightly coat the spoon and form soft waves that slowly fade as you stir.
- Lower the heat so the soup is only gently simmering. Stir the soup in a circle to create a gentle whirlpool and, in a very thin, steady stream, pour in the eggs from a height of 10–15 cm. After pouring, wait 10–15 seconds until distinct, pale ribbons form on the surface, then gently stir.
- Add the rinsed spinach leaves (tear larger ones into 2–3 pieces) and cook for 1–2 minutes. The spinach is ready when it has clearly softened, shrunk in volume and is still a vivid green; if the thicker ribs start to turn greyish, turn off the heat immediately.
- Season the soup with salt and white pepper until it’s lightly salty with a gentle, peppery heat. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil, stir, and immediately remove the pot from the heat so the egg doesn’t continue to set and form clumps.
- Ladle the very hot soup into bowls and sprinkle each portion with chopped chives or spring onion. In the finished soup, the broth should be almost clear, the egg ribbons soft and springy, and the spinach leaves firm rather than overcooked.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those simple soups that feels like a warm hug – perfect for chilly evenings or when you want something light but still satisfying.
