Chinese Steamed Egg (蛋羹)

Chinese steamed eggs are a simple and comforting dish made using only three basic ingredients: eggs, water, and salt. Steamed eggs are perfect for cold days, sick days, busy days…the list goes on. Infinitely adaptable to all ingredients and meals, steamed eggs can be a quick breakfast to a luscious dish that’s the star of the table.

Tips

These are some general notes—you can find the full recipe below with steps on how to make a silky-smooth custard and the microwave shortcut.

• You can use stock/broth instead of water, adjust salt accordingly.
• You can use soy sauce instead of salt.
• You can add other seasonings like white pepper but I prefer to have just salt in the eggs.
• To make the eggs as smooth as possible, pop the surface bubbles and steam with a plate over the bowl. Popping air bubbles gives the egg a smooth surface and steaming with a cover prevents water from dripping onto the surface.
• I like to garnish with herbs a minute before the eggs are done, shut off the heat, then place the bowl back into the steamer (with the plate over it) for another 3 or so minutes. Especially for scallions, this mellows out the flavor and the heat turns the herbs a brighter green.

Chinese Steamed Egg (蛋羹)

Recipe by FionaCourse: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, SnacksCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 1 tsp salt

• Water/stock, same mass as eggs (about 200g or ¾ cup + 2 tbsp for large eggs)

• any additional seasonings (optional): white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc

• Garnish (optional)

• Fresh herbs: scallions, cilantro, chives, etc

• Sesame oil

• Soy sauce

Directions

• Mix the eggs and salt thoroughly, then add the water/stock until everything is evenly mixed. Any additional spices can be added here too. Try not to incorporate too much air into the mixture.
• For a smooth surface, pop any air bubbles in the mixture.
• Place the bowl with the egg mixture in a steamer or a pot of room temperature water to steam. To prevent water dripping into the bowl, place a plate over it. Start steaming on high heat, and once the water starts boiling, turn down the heat to medium and steam for 15 minutes.
• If you want, turn of the heat a minute early, garnish with herbs, then place the steamed egg back in the steamer/pot (with the plate over it) to sit for 3-5 minutes. The steamed egg should be firm around the edges and on top but have a slightly jiggly center. You can test for doneness with a toothpick—it should be solid all the way through.
• Serve hot with soy sauce and sesame oil. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can steam in one bowl like the recipe calls for, or separate the mixture into individual serving bowls. Divide the steaming time accordingly and use a toothpick to check when the eggs are done.