Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup

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A hearty soup with Chinese egg dumplings, Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, bits of salty cured ham and tasty add-ins like mung bean vermicelli, fish balls and goji berries. It eats like comfort food but is healthy and protein-packed!

This dish is often served during Chinese New Year because egg dumplings (dàn jiǎo 蛋饺) resemble gold ingots. My dad remembers with fondness his Shanghainese mother making this dish every year. I also think it’s a great meal for any other time of the year too because it’s so healthy and protein-packed. The most laborious part of the recipe is making the egg dumplings. Just like making any dumpling, it’s a labour of love. Luckily I’ve come up with a pretty good hack to halve the time it normally takes. Put on a good podcast or playlist and the process can even feel meditative 😌

Traditionally, the egg dumplings are formed one at a time by pouring a bit of egg into a hot, oiled ladle held over a flame and swirled to create a thin crepe to act as the wrapper. The filling is added and the egg wrapper folded over in a half moon to form the dumpling. It’s a pretty cool process but takes patience and requires a gas stove.

My hack is to pour egg inside small baking rings on a skillet to form the crepe wrapper. This allows me to make two at a time with ease. When I tag-teamed with my daughter Elise, we were knocking out 4 at a time. She loved the process! FYI my rings are 3.5” English muffin rings but any similarly sized 3” to 3.5” cookie cutter will work.

🎥 Watch video for Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup

Practice making one dumpling first to get the hang of it, and you can easily start making 2 at a time. I will admit, this method doesn’t create the thinner wrapper edges but this is a small compromise to save time.

For Chinese New Year, it’s nice to add fish balls because fish symbolize prosperity and abundance — the Chinese word for "fish" (yú 鱼) is a homophone with (sounds the same as) the Chinese word for "surplus" or "abundance" (yú 余). That said, feel free to switch up the add-ins (e.g. fish balls and mung bean vermicelli) if you can’t make a trip to the Chinese supermarket. All the other ingredients in this recipe are easily found at conventional Western supermarkets.

Let me know what you think about this recipe or let me know if you have any questions about it. I’m happy to help!

Eat well and be well,

Sonia x

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what you’ll need:

Ingredients for Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup (scroll down to recipe card for full printable recipe)

• Eggs — cooked into thin crepes to act as dumpling wrappers. Gluten free for those who care!

• Ground pork — for egg dumpling filling; can substitute any ground meat of choice.

• Scallion — adds aromatic flavour to the egg dumpling filling.

• Shaoxing wine — adds aroma and nuanced flavour to the ground pork marinade. See Tips and FAQs for more info.

• Soy sauce — adds umami and salinity to the pork filling.

• Sesame oil — adds rich, nutty aroma to the pork filling and egg mixture.

• White pepper — seasoning for the pork filling. White pepper powder comes from fully ripe peppercorns with the outer skin removed.It has a clean, earthy almost floral aroma. Chinese cooking uses it to add warmth without dark specks of black pepper.

• Napa cabbage — simmered until tender in the broth; releases a lot of moisture and adds sweetness into the broth.

• Smoked ham hock — imparts smoky flavour in the broth; the tender meat is then shredded and adds little bits of salty goodness to enjoy in the soup. Normally a specific Chinese ham is used - called Jinhua ham (金華火腿), a type of specialty dry-cured ham named after the city of Jinhua in Zhejiang province, China, where it is made. But it is difficult to get this in Canada so we substitute an alternate cured ham.

• Shiitake mushrooms — dehydrated Chinese shiitakes add a lot of earthy flavour and umami to the dish. Substitute: fresh shiitake mushrooms which are milder in flavour.

• Chicken broth — homemade or store bought broth can be used. If making from-scratch chicken broth for this, add the ham hock right at the beginning along with chicken parts/bones and simmer everything at least 2 hours until ham hock is fork-tender.

• Ginger — provides a warm, aromatic and mild spiciness to the broth. Ginger is often used in Chinese soups as a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to balance "cooling" ingredients, aid digestion and boost circulation to combat cold and fatigue. 

• Optional add-ins:

  • Dried goji berries — goji berries are added to Chinese soups to add a subtle sweetness and provide functional health benefits including nourishing the liver and kidneys and strengthening the immune system based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

  • Fish balls — see Tips and FAQs for info.

  • Mung bean thread / vermicelli — see Tips and FAQs for info.

  • See Tips and FAQs for other add-in ideas

• Salt

• Oil for cooking egg dumplings

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At a glance:

How to make Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup (scroll down to recipe card for full printable recipe)

• If using dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate them by soaking them in warm water for 3-4 hours. Trim stems and, depending on size, cut in half or quarters (or leave them whole)

• Simmer smoked pork hock in chicken broth 2 hours or until fork-tender.

• Add all egg dumpling filling ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

• Whisk eggs well with sesame oil and salt.

• Dip cookie cutter in a small plate of oil to lightly grease the bottom edge.

• Lightly grease skillet, place cookie cutter(s) on and pour 1.5 tablespoons of egg to form a thin crepe.

• Place filling in centre and remove cookie cutter(s) (photo shows doing this in reverse — the order doesn’t matter so much as long as you work quickly)

• Fold over into a half moon. Press lightly. Done!

• Pork filling is not fully cooked at this stage — it will finish cooking in the broth.

• Repeat with remaining egg and filling mixture. Makes approximately 24 dumplings.

• Into a large pot, add Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and ginger slices. Season with salt and add broth.

• Cover and bring to a boil, and simmer 10-15 minutes

• Meanwhile, soak mung bean vermicelli and shred smoked ham hock.

• Add to the pot: egg dumplings, fish balls, mung bean vermicelli, goji berries and ham hock meat.

• Cover and simmer 5 minutes or when everything is just heated through.

• Tip: Avoid prolonged boiling at this stage! We want the egg dumplings to stay juicy and tender, and mung bean vermicelli to remain bouncy.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy as is, or with a bowl of rice!

Tips & FAQs

What is Shoaxing wine?

What is mung bean vermicelli?

Shaoxing wine (紹興酒) is a clear, medium brown rice-based cooking wine that is aromatic, slightly sweet and fragrant. It is used in Chinese cooking to add a wonderful nuanced and complex flavour. It is famously from Shaoxing, China, but there are versions made outside Shaoxing that is also good. For example, I often get a Taiwan “Shaohsing Wine” (pictured).  If you can’t find Shaoxing wine (or a variant of it), it can be substituted with dry cooking sherry or omit. It’s best to buy it at a Chinese grocery store. They are generally inexpensive ($10 give or take) so choose the most expensive bottle in the aisle and you should be good.

Mung bean thread vermicelli are thin, translucent noodles made from mung bean starch (sometimes in addition to other starches like tapioca). They are sold dry and should be soaked briefly ~15 mins before using. They turn clear and springy after soaking and cooking. Mung bean thread vermicelli are used in soups, hot pot, dumpling fillings, braised dishes, and more. They cook in minutes and absorb broth and sauces really well while retaining bouncy texture provided you don’t overcook them. Find them in the dry noodle aisle of Chinese grocery stores.

I’m not familiar with Asian fish balls! What are they and where can I buy them?

They are bite sized balls made from pureed fish paste. The paste is mixed with starch and seasonings, shaped into balls, then boiled, steamed or deep fried (orange-hued fish balls are deep fried). They have a bouncy, slightly chewy “QQ” texture that I find so addictive to eat! Since they are already cooked, they only need to be heated back through. Fish balls are commonly used in soups, hot pot, noodles or as a snack in many East Asian cuisines. Find them vacuum-packed and sold out of a fridge section at most Chinese, Japanese and Korean supermarkets.

What are other good add-ins for this?

There are lots of other tasty options. Here are some ideas:

• Add or substitute other mushrooms like enoki, beech or oyster mushrooms

• Add or substitute other leafy greens like bok choy, watercress and spinach, etc

• My grandmother’s version had bamboo shoots, sliced

• Soft tofu or tofu puffs

• Wood ear mushrooms

• Sliced fish cakes

• Other dried rice or wheat noodles if you can’t get mung bean vermicelli

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You may also like these recipes for Lunar New Year (or anytime):

Lion’s Head Meatballs | Shanghai Braised Rice Cakes | Shrimp Spring Rolls | Black Sesame Dumplings

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Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup

Yield: 5-6

Author: sonia wong | www.saltnpepperhere.com

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Chinese Egg Dumpling Soup

A hearty soup loaded with Chinese egg dumplings, Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, bits of salty cured ham and tasty add-ins like mung bean vermicelli, fish balls and goji berries. It eats like comfort food but is healthy and high in protein!

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinPassive Cook Time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 Hour

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Ingredients

For egg dumpling filling:

• ½ lb (225g) ground pork or ground chicken
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced – green parts reserved for garnish
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ toasted sesame oil
• ¼ tsp kosher salt (increase to ½ tsp for Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
• 3 dashes white pepper powder

For the egg wrappers:

• 7 large eggs
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt (increase to 1 tsp for Diamond Crystal brand)

For the soup:

• 4-5 medium-sized dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted per directions (can substitute with fresh shiitake mushrooms)
• 1 smoked ham hock (~350g)
• 7½ C (1.8 L) chicken broth, homemade or store bought low-sodium
• 1 large Napa cabbage (~1kg), cut crosswise into ½” pieces
• 2 thin slices fresh ginger
• Salt and soy sauce to taste

Add-ins (feel free to switch up):

• 2 bunches (75g) dried mung bean thread (vermicelli), soaked in water 15 minutes and drained
• 1 package fish balls or shrimp balls (~250g)
• 1 tablespoon dried goji berries

Instructions

1. Reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms (skip soaking step if using fresh shiitakes): Rinse well and place in a bowl. Submerge under 1” of warm water (I put half tap water plus half boiled from my kettle), cover with a plate and soak 3-4 hours or up to overnight if more convenient. Lightly squeeze excess water out of mushrooms. Trim stems. Set aside.
2. Prepare the broth: Add smoked pork hock to chicken broth. Simmer for 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove the hock, shred the meat, discard excess fat and skin, and set aside. Season broth with salt and/or soy sauce to taste. Note: If making from-scratch chicken broth, add the smoked pork hock at the start to cook everything together, making sure to simmer the broth for at least 2 hours until pork hock is fork tender.
3. Prep egg dumplings: In a small bowl, add all filling ingredients and mix to combine. Then mix vigorously until it pulls together into a pasty consistency, 30 seconds. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with sesame oil and salt. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a small round dish (I like a flat plate with a small lip) just large enough to fit cookie cutter.
4. Cook egg dumplings: Heat a non-stick skillet over low to medium-low heat. Practice making one dumpling first. Once you get the hang of it, you may opt to make multiple at a time if you have extra cutters. Once skillet is preheated, lightly grease with oil. Dip cookie cutter in the small dish of oil to lightly grease the bottom edge. Place cookie cutter on skillet and pour 1.5 tablespoon of egg in an even, thin layer. Add a slightly heaped 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. At this point, the egg edges should be set enough to remove the cookie cutter. Fold into a half moon. Press the edges together and gently press the center to spread the filling. Cook 2 seconds on each side, then transfer to a plate. The pork filling is not fully cooked and will finish cooking in the soup. Repeat with remaining egg and filling. Makes about 24 dumplings.
5. Add remaining soup ingredients: Into a large pot, add napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger slices. Season cabbage with salt. Add broth, cover to bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes. Taste one final time and season with salt and/or soy sauce to taste. Add egg dumplings, fish balls, mung bean vermicelli, goji berries and shredded ham hock meat. Simmer 5 minutes or until everything is heated through and egg dumpling filling is cooked. Divide between serving bowls, garnish with reserved scallions and enjoy as is, or with a bowl of rice.

Special equipment: 3.5" metal ring such as cookie cutter or English muffin ring

Nutrition Facts

Calories

753

Fat

51 g

Sat. Fat

18 g

Carbs

14 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

12 g

Sugar

4 g

Protein

60 g

Sodium

1059 mg

Cholesterol

434 mg

Disclaimer: nutritional information is auto-generated and should only be used as an approximation.

Copyright 2026 © saltnpepperhere. All content including images is copyrighted and may not be republished or copied in part or whole without prior written permission and proper credit.

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