Egg Drop Soup

Combine broth, sliced ginger, soy sauce, and white pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Taste: the broth should be assertively seasoned — it is the soul of the soup. A bland broth produces a bland soup no amount of egg ribbons can rescue. Simmer for 5 minutes to allow the ginger to infuse. Remove and discard the ginger slices.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with an equal volume of cold water (roughly 2 tablespoons cornstarch to 3 tablespoons cold water). Whisk until completely smooth with no white lumps. The slurry must be made with cold water — hot or warm water causes the starch to clump immediately. This slurry thickens the broth just enough to give the egg ribbons something to hang on to — without it, eggs sink to the bottom.

Stir the cornstarch slurry one final time (it settles fast), then pour it in a slow, steady stream into the simmering broth while stirring constantly. As the starch granules heat past 65°C (149°F) they swell and burst, thickening the broth almost instantly. Stir constantly for 1 full minute after adding. The finished broth should coat the back of a spoon lightly — thick enough to hold egg ribbons suspended, but not gloopy or paste-like.

Beat eggs thoroughly until completely uniform — no streaks of white, no unincorporated yolk. A fork is fine; whisking until the eggs are smooth and just slightly foamy gives the best ribbon structure. Some cooks add a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of water to thin the eggs for longer, more dramatic ribbons. The beaten eggs should flow like a thin custard.

Bring the thickened broth to a steady simmer. With one hand, stir the broth in a slow, circular motion to create a gentle vortex. With the other hand, pour the beaten egg in a slow, steady, thin stream from about 12 inches above the pot — the height and the stirring motion are what create long, silky ribbons rather than scrambled egg clumps. Once all the egg is added, stir once gently and immediately remove from heat. Finish with a few drops of sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced scallions.