Name: Sweetcorn egg drop soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 min
Ingredients: 3 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup sweetcorn kernal; 1/4 teaspoon White pepper; salt; 1/4 cup chopped cooked chicken; 2 teaspoons cornflour (cornflour slurry, 2 teaspoons cornflour to 4 teaspoons water); 1 egg (beaten); 1 spring onion; 1/4 teasoon sesame oil

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Sweetcorn egg drop soup is one of the most popular and basic Chinese soups in Nigerian-Chinese restaurants. It is very simple and easy to make yet always looks impressive.

It is called egg drop because of the way the egg is drizzled into the soup while cooking it. This soup is also called egg flower soup because the egg poured in, blooms and looks like flowers in the soup.

Sweetcorn egg drop soup is ideal when you want to entertain guests with a Chinese food menu and perfect when you feel run down or in a hurry and you just need a bowl of soup.

About Sweetcorn egg drop soup

The corn can be tinned, frozen or fresh sweet corn kernels, you can also use ordinary sweetcorn kernels or cream of corn. You can even use a combination of whole sweet corn kernel and some cream of corn. Really whatever floats your boat, I use whole sweetcorn kernel because I like it and it is readily available in shops. I normally use any leftover from my Chinese stir fry rice.

The sweetcorn egg drop soup is a stock-based soup, therefore the flavour of the soup will vary from person to person. It will depend on the type of chicken stock, chicken stock cube or bouillon used. If the stock is homemade, the difference will even be more pronounced, because, it will depend on the vegetables, herbs and spices each person used in producing the stock.

Try and control what you add when making the chicken stock. It should taste clean not loaded up with spices and herbs. For my stock, I use onions, salt and a little chicken stock cube or chicken seasoning powder.

Chicken seasoning cubes or bouillons, granules and powder can all be used to produce chicken stock especially if you do not want to add chicken to your soup. See note.

You can use either whole egg or only egg white. I prefer using only egg white.

To prepare Sweetcorn egg drop soup

3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sweetcorn kernal
1/4 teaspoon White pepper
salt
1/4 cup chopped cooked chicken 
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornflour slurry, 2 teaspoon cornflour to 4 teaspoons waer)
1 egg, beaten
1 spring onion
1/4 teasoon sesame oil

Chop spring onions, set aside

In a pot, put the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add sweetcorn kernel, white pepper and salt. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add in the chicken and add the cornflour slurry, stirring all the time. Stir for 30 seconds.

shredded or chopped chicken for sweet corn egg drop soup

egg wite and cornflour slurry for sweet corn egg drop soup

Stir soup while pouring the beaten egg into the soup in a slow and steady stream.

Take off the heat, garnish with spring onions and season with sesame oil.

Sweetcorn egg drop soup is ready.

Enjoy it on its own, with bread etc.

Note

Boil chicken and bones with salt and 1 chicken seasoning to get chicken stock.
To make chicken stock from stock cube or powder, use 1 square cube or 1 teaspoon powder to 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups of boiling water.
You can use either whole egg or egg white.
Do not beat your egg until foaming.
Do not cook sweetcorn egg drop soup on high heat in order to reduce foaming.
If the soup is not thick enough to your taste, add more cornflour slurry.
When adding the egg, stirring the soup rapidly as you pour it in will result in very fine egg flowers. Stirring slowly and gently will result in large egg ribbons. It all depends on which you like.

For part of your Chinese menu use my Mongolian beef stir fry, Basic Chinese fried rice and Easy stir fry noodles.

If you enjoyed my Sweetcorn egg drop Soup, you would also enjoy my Awara Pepper soup (Tofu Soup), Jamaican chicken soup with dumplings, Mushroom pepper soup and Mushroom soup (without cream).