A no-oil, effortless lemon infused soup with cooked rice and dropped eggs. I created this soup as a quick, lighter meal option. You can use up leftover boiled rice.
Citrus flavors make this wholesome rice egg drop soup lately a highlight in my kitchen.
I created this soup with simplicity, sustainability, and ease of preparation in mind and therefore this soup doesn’t contain any oil.
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TL;DR
The broth is first infused with freshly grated lemon zest, squeezed lemon juice and seasoning.
Eggs are then dropped in with the already cooked plain rice. It’s that straightforward, and your dinner is ready within 15 minutes.
Therefore, I recommend this soup for beginner cooks, all those who love rice, lemon and eggs, and of course, for all of us active worker bees.
The soup is inspired by Asian congee meals, which is a savory rice porridge. I have a basic brown rice gruel congee recipe if you like this type of food.
Ingredient Notes
- Lemon — You will use the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Pick untreated (no pesticide) lemons if possible because the lemon zest needs to be grates. To clean pesticide coated lemons, keep the lemons in a bowl of lukewarm water with baking soda mixed in. You can use your favorite citrus grater to grate the lemon zest coarse or fine.
- Eggs — Try with different eggs than just chicken eggs if there is availability. I like quail eggs and duck eggs.
- Broth — I like chicken broth or stock, but you can use vegetable broth, beef broth or bone broth too. The substitution is bouillon cubes and water.
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Rice — I use leftover cooked rice and I prefer brown rice because it keeps me longer full. You can boil a batch of rice separately just for the soup, but the purpose is to use up leftovers and to save time prepping this soup. Just boil a larger portion of plain rice next time and keep it in the fridge to cool, as it remains good for a few days. Plain boiled rice can be used to make fried rice or a salad too.
Process Overview
Step 1
Zest clean lemon and juice the lemon. Break the eggs into a bowl and scramble them. Keep the ingredients aside.
Step 2
Pour broth into a soup pot, stir in lemon zest, salt and black pepper.
Gradually bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Drop the eggs into the broth and scramble with a whisk.
Stir in cooked rice.
Step 4
Continue to simmer soup for a few minutes, to infuse ingredients.
Take from the heat and mix in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Serve soup hot.
Recipe
Lemon Rice Egg Drop Soup Recipe
A no-oil, effortless lemon infused soup with cooked rice and dropped eggs. I created this soup as a quick, lighter meal option. You can use up leftover boiled rice.
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Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 324kcal
Instructions
-
Zest clean lemon first. Cut the lemon into two and juice the lemon.
1 Lemon
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Break the eggs into a bowl, scramble eggs.
2 Eggs
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Place your soup pot on a medium heat setting and pour in the broth.
1.2 Quarts Broth
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Season the broth with the lemon zest, some salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Salt, ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper
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When the soup is simmering, drop the eggs into the soup and scramble them immediately with the help of a whisk or a tablespoon. You should be left with small egg drop pieces.
2 Eggs
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Continue to stir in the boiled rice and mix it all well. Keep the soup to simmering for a few more minutes to infuse.
1-1½ Cups Cooked Rice
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When done cooking and infusing, take from the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice. Adjust salt seasoning if needed.
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Serve your lemon rice egg drop soup hot.
Notes
Broth — Either chicken, beef, vegetable broth, or stock or bouillon cube and water.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Rice Egg Drop Soup Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 324
Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 164mg55%
Sodium 235mg10%
Potassium 667mg19%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 250IU5%
Vitamin C 29mg35%
Calcium 74mg7%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Serving
I like this soup served as a lighter dinner meal with some bread and a small side salad. The side salad can be western or an Asian side salad. A vinegar or citrus-based dressing pairs better with this dish.
You can serve the soup too as a starter.
I think the lemon rice egg drop soup can be eaten too, just like Asian congee, as I based the recipe on congee. Congee is great when you feel under the weather or weak.
Storing
This soup keeps well for up to 5 days refrigerated, and you can freeze it too (to meal prep).
Simply, pour it into a fridge or freezer-friendly container. I like to use rectangular glass containers which can then be placed into the oven or microwave directly to reheat the soup.
