How To Make: Bun House’s Smoked Eel Egg Drop Soup

A classic Cantonese recipe utilising leftover ingredients, egg drop soup is also known as “egg flower” soup in Chinese, said to bring luck as the flower blooms and blossoms. In celebration of Chinese New Year, Cantonese-style steamed bun specialist Bun House will serve a smoked eel egg drop soup throughout February 2022, as part of a new menu. A perfect winter warmer, Bun House founder Z He has also shared the restaurant’s smoked eel egg drop soup recipe.

In addition to the smoked eel egg drop soup, Bun House’s new ‘The Tiger Who Came For Tea And Buns’ menu will include the restaurant’s take on a traditional afternoon tea. Inspired by the year of the tiger, themed buns will be served alongside a take on a classic scone – a sesame mille feuille with sesame pastry sheets layered with clotted cream and spiced plum jam; fried milk ribs; tempura oyster mushrooms; and confit duck croquettes.

A selection of teas from Bun House’s house selection will also be served in traditional Cantonese canteen style pots, offering a choice between jasmine, oolong, or traditional pu’er tea – a fermented tea made from the leaves of China’s ancient Dayeh trees, with mature leaves that can be up to 1,000 years old.

On the launch of the new ‘The Tiger Who Came For Tea And Buns’ menu, Bun House Founder Z He said: “Chinese New Year is a time where family and friends come together to celebrate, feast and look forward to the prosperous times that the year will bring. We’re excited to celebrate the year of the tiger and share our Chinese New Year traditions with Londoner’s, marrying the British tradition of Afternoon Tea with Chinese cuisine! We hope that the tiger buns bring customers confidence, courage and some adventure for the year ahead!”

On the smoked eel egg drop soup, Z He added: “Egg drop soup is my family tradition to have usually on the third day of CNY after a couple big meals in a row at the beginning of CNY. We would save the odd bits or ends of chopped vegetables or meat and throw it in the soup. We call the egg drop soup “egg flower” soup in Chinese. Though egg drop soup isn’t a typical CNY tradition, but we have created one in our family because my grandma told me flower also means blooming and blossom so it is a lucky soup to have!”

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Smoked eel egg drop soup

A classic Cantonese recipe, garnished with smoked eel and Youtiao (fried Chinese doughnut).

Course Soup

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Chinese New Year, Egg Drop Soup, Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Z He, founder of Bun House

Ingredients

• 6 St Ewe rich yolk eggs
• 90 g cornflour
• 10 ml sesame oil
• 10 g white pepper
• 12 g Salt
• 40 g wood ear fungus
• 40 g white fungus or snow fungus
• 15 g dried shrimp

For the chicken stock

• 2.8 l cold water
• 1 kg chicken bones/ carcass
• 1 knob fresh ginger sliced
• 3 Szechuan peppercorns
• 2 star anise

To garnish

• 50 g Smoked eel
• 50 g Fried Chinese doughnut “Youtiao”
• 1 bunch spring onion, green parts only very finely sliced

Instructions

• Begin by making the chicken stock. Place chicken bones or carcass on a roasting tray and bake in the oven at 200C/Gas 6 until browned. Transfer all ingredients into a heavy bottom pot and fill with cold water. Bring it up to heat and simmer until stock is reduced by half. Then pass through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool. Separate fat that rises to the top and discard.
• Next start by rehydrating both dried mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes. Once done, squeeze and drain them. Roughly chop both and set aside.
• Place your chicken stock back on the heat. While it is warming, create a cornflour slurry by whisking cornflour with 150ml of water. Then slowly incorporate the cornflour into the warm stock string constantly. Over a minute or so it will start to thicken. Once done, add hydrated mushrooms, sesame oil, dried shrimp, white pepper and salt.
• Crack your eggs and whisk thoroughly with the 30ml of water, this helps bring the egg together and helps with pouring.
• Get your mixture into something that is easy to pour. Once ready, begin to stir the soup in a circular motion to create a vortex and in a steady stream add the egg. As you do so you will begin to see ribbons of egg appear. Be careful not have the soup on too hot as the egg can quickly overcook.
• Garnish with slices of crumbled eel and fried donut slice and a sprinkling of freshly sliced spring onion.

‘The Tiger Who Came For Tea and Buns’ menu will run from 1st – 27th February and can be booked online via Resy. Sittings for the afternoon tea will be available from 12 noon – 5pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday for bookings only, walk ins not available. The menu is priced at £36 per person for a minimum of 2 people. A vegetarian menu will also be available. 

Related: The best street food & take away in Chinatown London