Seaweed egg drop soup is a variation of the regular egg drop soup popular in Chinese cuisine. Due to its slightly slippery texture and unique umami taste, adding seaweed significantly changes the soup’s texture and flavor. 

In this recipe, I will present the most common way of making this soup in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia.

The egg drop soup recipe seems simple, requiring only a few ingredients. However, it is remarkably flavorful due to the rich flavor of both egg and seaweed.

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🔎 What type of seaweed is used in the recipe?

The seaweed used to make this soup is Porphyra haitanensis, also known as Zicai in Chinese cuisine. Due to its color and similar appearance to vegetables, it is called 紫菜, which means purple vegetable in Chinese. It can be purchased in Chinese medical halls, supermarkets, Asian grocery stores, or dried seafood stores. It can also be purchased online from platforms like Lazada.

Note: This is a list of the ingredients I use when cooking in a restaurant or for a larger family. If you want to make a simple soup on the go, you can omit the dry shrimp and the carrot to simplify it. Some people prefer not to include any meat, which is acceptable. A wide variety of ingredients can be used for this recipe.

👉 Seaweed and egg drop soup recipe – the step-by-step instruction

1. Soak the dried seaweed in water for 10 to 15 minutes until it softens. Once the dried seaweed has softened and rehydrated, remove it with a wire mesh strainer and set it aside.

2. Soak the dried shrimp in water for about 10 minutes. Wash away all the dirt, drain, and set aside. Cut the green onion into short sections about half an inch in length and the ginger into thin slices.

3. Slice the pork or chicken into thin slices, then marinate with salt, oil, light soy sauce, and cornstarch for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet. Then, lightly pan-fry the dried shrimp until they turn aromatic, which takes about one minute.

5. Add the water and chicken stock, followed by the dried seaweed, ginger slices, and carrot strips when it comes to a boil.  Add the marinated meat. Season the soup with salt, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

6. Crack and beat two eggs in a large bowl. Pour the beaten eggs into the wok from about half to one foot above the surface, slowly forming a thin stream of eggs. Do not stir the soup in the first half minute. After half a minute, the egg will be partially cooked. Now, use the spoon to push the egg slowly to form thin ribbons.

7. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water to form a slurry. Add the slurry to the soup slowly while continuously stirring. Add the cornstarch slowly and stop when the soup has the desired consistency. Lastly, add the cut green onions to the soup, garnish, and serve.

💡Tips to make the best seaweed and egg drop soup

• When cooking seaweed, it is best to rehydrate it before cooking. While some people cook the seaweed directly, I prefer to wash it first for cleanliness. You can use hot water for soaking and rehydration to speed up the process. 
• For a vegetarian option, you can substitute chicken stock with vegetable broth and use firm tofu instead of meat. Alternatively, add tomato to the soup to make a tomato egg drop soup with seaweed. You can either cut the tomato into thin slices or small dice.

🗄️ How to store the leftover soup?

Refrigerate egg drop soup for up to two days or freeze for a week.

📖 Other related Chinese soups

Since you like the seaweed egg drop soup recipe and Chinese food, here are a few more Chinese soups you may be interested in. 

• Here is a recipe for basic egg drop soup if you prefer a simple soup. 
• If you like it to be spicier, here is a Sichuan-style hot and sour soup recipe. 
• Another version is bok choy with pork-sliced soup. You might have tried stir-fried bok choy before, but here is another way to make it.