Chuck Zumbrun

Tales from Skunk Hill

Time for a Rerun

I’ve written about this dish before, but it is so good it’s worthy of a rerun.

This is the ultimate comfort food; if you have a cold and are miserable, if you live in Indiana and it’s February and you think the sun is never going to shine again, if you’re home alone and lonely while your beloved [1] is away, this is a dish that will comfort your soul.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup

5 cups chicken stock
One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, 2/3?s thinly sliced, rest cut into matchsticks (julienned) [2]
1/4 to 1 teaspoon white pepper [3]
1 – 2 large eggs, lightly beaten [4]
2 cups packed spinach leaves, with stems, roughly chopped [5]
Salt to taste [6]

Bring the chicken stock to a boil with the sliced ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of the white pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Strain [7] and return the stock to the saucepan.
Add the ginger matchsticks to the stock and return the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Gently stir in the eggs, breaking them into long strands, and cook for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat. Season with salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.
Serve immediately.

This is enough for two as a main dish or 4 as side.


1. Debbie.

2. You have to have fresh ginger here. Don’t even think about using that jar of dried ginger.

3. Although black pepper will work, if you don’t have white pepper this is a good reason to go get some. I’d start with a 1/4 teaspoon and taste. You can easily get it too hot for your taste with white pepper.

4. One jumbo egg is enough. One large egg may even be enough. It depends on how eggy you like your egg drop soup. What does ‘lightly beaten’ mean anyway? I beat the egg(s) until they’re looking homogeneous but stopping before they get foamy.

5. You don’t need to measure this. We’re not making a Swiss watch. Grab two big handfuls out of a bag of spinach and you’ll be good. Roughly chopped? Take that big handful of spinach and squeeze it tight. Slice off what is sticking out of your fist [8]. Regrip and repeat until it’s all chopped. Congratulations! You’ve just done a chiffonade!

6. If you’re using store-bought stock you probably don’t need any more salt.

7. I fish the sliced ginger out with a slotted spoon. Strain into another bowl you then have to wash? Bah!

8. Don’t slice the side of your fist off. That will hurt and make a mess.

3 responses to “Time for a Rerun”

  1. chuck Avatar
    chuck

    I think the first batch is to make a ginger flavored broth, while the julienned gives you the crisp bites of ginger. But if you put it all in and left it it might be too many ginger chunks? I’m guessing.

  2. Lana Avatar
    Lana

    I followed the recipe to a T and it was delicious! YUM YUM!!!

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