Warming, nourishing, and flavorful – that’s what you get with a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup. Make this your soup starter before a main meal using eggs, seaweed, dried mini shrimp, and various seasonings. Serve this with hot rice and any of your favorite main meals!
What Is Seaweed Egg Drop Soup?
Did you love my egg drop soup recipe? If yes, try this umami version of egg drop soup mixed with seaweed. It is a combination of salty and umami with the flavors of your favorite scrambled eggs.
The soup gets its slightly thickened fluffy texture with the egg drop, giving you its rich chicken flavors. As you have guessed, the egg drop is literally its meaning since the beaten eggs are dropped directly into the soup and cooked as it is stirred. I seasoned the soup with dried mini shrimps, coriander, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
The highlight of the dish is the salty and umami seaweed, which is widely available in Asian grocery stores. You can add more flavorful ingredients, such as shiitake mushrooms, tofu, spring onions, and many more. Have this as a light meal or as a soup starter before a main meal, such as Dumpling Skirt (Dumpling Lace), Stir-Fried Shrimp Mei Fun, and Air-Fried Crispy Pork Belly.
Do you love soup recipes? Serve these warming soup recipes for any occasion:
- Black Chicken Soup Recipe (Chinese Silkie Chicken)
- Homemade Beef Wontons With Soup
- Warming Pork And Shrimp Wonton Soup
- How To Make Chicken Feet Soup
- Savory Tomato Garlic Fish Balls Soup
- Winter Melon Soup With Ribs Recipe
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Gamjatang 감자탕 / Korean Pork Bone Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
All About Seaweed For Cooking
You will love seaweed for its many nutritional benefits! It is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, such as vitamins A to E, calcium, iron, and magnesium. It supports our health in various ways, from promoting thyroid gland function to controlling blood sugar and improving blood circulation.
Luckily, several types of seaweed are easily accessible in Asian grocery stores. Some are sold fresh, but you will mostly find dried seaweed in the market. The most common names of dried edible seaweeds you may find are nori, wakame, kelp, kombu, and laver, to name a few.
The texture and appearance vary depending on the type of seaweed you buy. You may come across thick strips, thin rectangular sheets, or crumbled wrinkly forms. Keep in mind seaweed for cooking is completely different from seaweed snacks bought in the snacks or chips section.
Personalize Your Seaweed Egg Drop Soup
I used a total of 7 ingredients to complete this dish. It is up to you if you want to use all of them or change some. Here are some ingredient tips and alternatives to consider when making seaweed egg drop soup:
- Seaweed: Use fresh or dried seaweed. If you are using dried seaweed, these are soaked in hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes until it is fully rehydrated and soft. For fresh seaweed, simply rinse it with water before combining it with the soup.
- Eggs: I used 2 beaten eggs as my main protein. Any size will do, such as medium or large.
- Dried mini shrimp: Add more seafood flavors with dried mini shrimp. These are small peeled dried shrimps that impart a distinct savory and umami taste. You can also use dried shrimp flakes as an alternative. As a last resort, use fresh or frozen shrimp.
- Coriander: Stir in freshly chopped coriander to lend the soup a tart and lemon-like taste. The best alternative to fresh coriander is coriander powder or crushed coriander seeds. If there is no other option, substitute fresh coriander with parsley, mint, or basil.
- Light soy sauce: Light soy sauce adds salty and umami flavors. It can also be substituted with regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, tamari, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce. Adjust the amount according to your desired taste.
- Sesame oil: This gives the soup a nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet taste. Adding this to the soup provides a deeper Asian flavor and aroma with its strong nutty taste. As an alternative, you can swap this with other types of oil such as olive oil, avocado oil, and safflower oil.
- White pepper powder: White pepper is more earthy to taste and imparts subtle heat. This is a bit different from black pepper powder which is more woody, piney, and hot. You can swap white pepper powder with black pepper if needed.
- Optional flavoring ingredients: I use water in the soup. To elevate the soup’s flavor, I recommend incorporating chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. Season it with chopped spring onions or scallions, ginger slices, and minced garlic if you like. For varying fishy flavors, add in some dried anchovies or bonito flakes. Doenjang (Korean soybean paste) or miso paste also pairs well with seaweed.
Checklist of Ingredients And Kitchenware
A single cooking pot is all you need to cook this warming soup. Apart from this, prepare the usual basic kitchenware, such as a mixing bowl and knife. Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 2 beaten eggs
- 900 ml water
- 10g of dried mini shrimps
- 10g of fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 2g of white pepper
- 20g of seaweed
Step-By-Step Instructions To Follow
Complete this recipe in 5 easy steps! It is a quick and easy recipe ready in less than 10 minutes. Follow how I cooked this soup with my Instagram or TikTok tutorial videos.
Remember to tag @kitchenmisadventures to share your soup recipe versions! Leave a comment if you loved this recipe too. Here is a step-by-step instructions for the recipe:
- Beat 2 eggs thoroughly in a bowl. Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat and pour in the beaten eggs. Pour the eggs in a circular motion to evenly spread them out in the pot of water.
- Add dried mini shrimp, coriander, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Adjust to taste and mix well.
- Prepare the seaweed. Soak the dried seaweed until fully rehydrated or wash the fresh seaweed with hot water. Drain the water and place the seaweed in your preferred serving bowl.
- Combine the egg drop soup with the seaweed. Pour the egg drop soup into the bowl of seaweed and stir once more to mix well.
Serve this with hot rice with your favorite meals. For more egg recipes, make these as well: Microwave Steamed Eggs, Chinese Steamed Egg, Traditional Chinese Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭), Bitter Melon Stir-Fried With Eggs, and Veggie Balls.
How To Make Seaweed Egg Drop Soup
Ingredients
- 2 beaten eggs
- 900 ml water
- 10 g of dried mini shrimps
- 10 g of fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 2 g of white pepper
- 20 g of seaweed
Instructions
- Beat 2 eggs thoroughly in a bowl. Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat and pour in the beaten eggs. Pour the eggs in a circular motion to evenly spread them out in the pot of water.
- Add dried mini shrimp, coriander, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Adjust to taste and mix well.
- Prepare the seaweed. Soak the dried seaweed until fully rehydrated or wash the fresh seaweed with hot water. Drain the water and place the seaweed in your preferred serving bowl.
- Combine the egg drop soup with the seaweed. Pour the egg drop soup into the bowl of seaweed and stir once more to mix well.
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Nutrition
