Egg Ribbon Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach

Ingredients

0 of 14 out on the counter

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1½ cups sliced white mushrooms
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup water, to stir with the cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 cups packed baby spinach, to set in the bowls
• 4 tbsp chopped scallion, to finish

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Pour the broth into a 3-quart pot. Add the mushrooms, ginger and garlic powder. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then simmer, covered, 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft. (Sea level would take about 8; the extra time is the house's allowance for water that boils at about 203 °F here.)
2. 2While it simmers, whisk the cornstarch smooth in ¼ cup cold water. In a second bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites until no streaks of white remain; a spouted measuring cup pours best.
3. 3Divide the spinach among four bowls and set them near the stove.
4. 4Stir the soy sauce, salt and white pepper into the pot. Whisk the cornstarch again, since it settles, and stir it in. Simmer 1 minute, stirring, until the broth turns glossy and slightly thick.
5. 5Take the pot off the heat. Stir the broth in one direction so it swirls, and pour the beaten egg in a thin stream, as slowly as you can. Cover the pot and leave it off the heat 1 minute so the ribbons set, then stir once, gently, to break them up.
6. 6Check that the soup reads at least 160 °F in the middle and that the egg is firm, with no clear liquid egg. If not, return the pot to low heat for 1 minute without boiling hard.
7. 7Stir in the sesame oil. Ladle the soup over the spinach, which wilts in the bowl, and scatter the scallion on top. Serve at once.