Egg Drop Soup at Camp
Powdered egg, broth, and cornstarch. Hot, brothy, and done in under ten minutes.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 7 min
- total time
- 9 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Winter / snow
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Powdered whole egg | 3 tbsp | equals about 2 eggs; rehydrate before it goes in the pot |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken bouillon | 2 tsp | enough for 600 ml of broth |
| Cornstarch | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1/4 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Soy sauce | 1 tsp | packets from a takeout drawer weigh nothing |
| Toasted sesame oil | 1/2 tsp | dropper bottle |
| Dried chives | 1 tbsp | |
| Black pepper | a few grinds | |
| Wonton strips or crushed crackers | 1/4 cup | packed separately, added at the end |
Method
- Mix the egg powder with 3 tbsp of cool water in your mug or a spare bag. Stir until no lumps remain and let it sit while the water heats.
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil with the bouillon, ginger, garlic powder, and chives.
- Stir the cornstarch into 2 tbsp of cold water, then pour it into the boiling broth. Stir for thirty seconds until it thickens slightly.
- Take the pot off the stove and wait until the surface stops churning. Bubbles shred the egg.
- Stir the broth in one direction and pour the egg in a slow, thin stream from a few inches up. Stop stirring and let it sit ten seconds. Ribbons form on their own.
- Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Scatter the wonton strips on top and eat.
Restaurant egg drop soup depends on fresh eggs and a fridge, so this version runs on whole egg powder rehydrated in a mug before it ever touches the pot. That step is not optional. Dry powder dumped into hot broth clumps into yellow gravel instead of ribbons.
The other two rules carry over from a home kitchen unchanged. Cornstarch thickens the broth just enough to suspend the egg rather than let it sink, and the pot has to come off the heat before the egg goes in. Rolling water tears the strands apart. Pour slow, stir once, then leave it alone.
Packing
Bouillon, cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder, and chives premix into one small bag. Egg powder rides in its own bag so you can mix it separately. Oil and soy in the condiment kit, crunchy topping in its own bag so it stays crunchy.
Variations
- A handful of freeze-dried corn or peas thrown in with the bouillon makes it a fuller dinner.
- Skip the egg powder and stir in a foil packet of chicken instead if powdered egg is not your thing.
- Chili crisp or a pinch of white pepper if you want it hotter.
https://www.pinchmeimeating.com/easy-egg-drop-soup