Heat chicken stock (4 cups), minced ginger (1 tablespoon), white and light green parts of the green onions, and frozen corn (1 cup) in a large pot over high heat until just boiling, then turn heat to low.
In a separate small cup or bowl, mix ¼ cup of water with the cornstarch (2 tablespoons), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), salt (¼ teaspoon), white pepper, if using (¼ teaspoon), and turmeric, if using (¼ teaspoon) until smooth and no lumps remain. Stir mixture into the soup and continue heating on low until thickened.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup (preferably with a pouring spout), beat the eggs (6).
Stir the hot broth to create a slow swirl. While you are stirring and the broth is swirling, SLOWLY pour in the eggs. If using a bowl without a pour spout, place two chopsticks or the tines of a fork over the rim of the bowl as you pour to separate the egg and gently add it to the soup to create nice egg ribbons. After a few seconds, you can break the eggs up as necessary with a spoon.
Turn off the heat. Stir in most of the dark green parts of the green onions and the toasted sesame oil, reserving some to garnish each bowl. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve.
Notes
For the ginger: I love to peel fresh ginger and freeze it. Then, when I need to use it for a recipe like this, I use a microplane zester to grate it. It’s easier to grate when it’s frozen and it lasts for so long like this! You can use a microplane zester or small grater to mince fresh ginger unfrozen as well, or just mince it with a knife into very small pieces.
The bright yellow color is achieved naturally in this recipe with turmeric. Restaurant-style egg drop soup often uses yellow food dye to achieve that color. You can get a brighter yellow color naturally by adding more turmeric, and using pasture-raised eggs (which have a brighter yellow yolk).
If you have extra egg whites leftover from baking feel free to use them up in this soup in place of one or two of the eggs!
For a vegetarian version, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
For a low-carb version, omit the corn.
You may need more salt depending on how much is in the broth you use – taste and adjust as needed.
