Chinese Egg Drop Soup is one of those dishes that can be made incredibly well as a warming start to a meal…..or done terribly, horribly, no-no wrong. There’s an Asian restaurant near my house, not naming names but *cough* on 53rd Avenue *cough*, who serves Egg Drop Soup that has so much food coloring that it practically glows in the dark. In fact, when the server comes out with it, the lights flicker with a low *ddzzzzddzzz* sound due to the soup’s radioactive contents.

You know what I mean, right?

So let me show you how to make the soup right. Chinese Egg Drop Soup should be savory, soothing, a little warming heat from the white pepper. The eggs should be delicate, floating, whisper-thin silky strands. Do I have you craving for a bowl now?

This recipe is from Diana Kuan’s new book, The Chinese Takeout Cookbook. Diana and I have not only gotten to know each other through blogging about Asian food (go Chinese sistahs!) but we’ve also shared a meal together early on, when she came to visit in Tampa. We also share the same literary agent (hi Janis!) and I’m proud to share with you her recipe for Egg Drop Soup.

The Chinese Takeout Cookbook by Diana Kuan

A note about ground white pepper: Buy it! Ground while pepper is lovely. Ignore anyone who claims it tastes strange. white peppercorn is basically a regular peppercorn, with the black outer coating removed. It’s less pungent, and the effect is more of an all-over warming than hot. Plus, since it’s a powder, it dissolves well in soup (no harsh black flakes to bite on).