One of the consequences of my cooking 1970s Asian American food from James Beard’s classic cookbook, American Cookery, is that I developed a fondness for egg foo yung. I never thought I’d type those words.
Without doubt, egg foo yung has been changed many ways in America. Despite its Cantonese name, it is a dish from Shanghai. During my research, I found many recipes and realized that egg foo yung didn’t have to be the unattractive Chinese-American restaurant version that’s covered in gloppy brown sauce.
On the contrary, egg foo yung is an easy, versatile food that you can adapt pretty much however you want. For example, vary the protein (shrimp, pork, or chicken) or go vegetarian with shiitake mushroom. Serve it hot or warm with or without a thickened sauce. I like a simple dunk in soy sauce with fresh chiles; chile garlic sauce and Sriracha would be excellent too. Ketchup, particularly the spicy umami ketchup, is fun for a sweet tang!
Play with egg foo yung but keep this consistent: fry it in a decent amount of oil to create great crisp frilled edges. You want the skillet to bubble away like this:
What to do with leftover egg foo yung? I’ve eaten it cold straight from fridge and turned it into a classic St. Paul sandwich, which is a Chinese American specialty in the Midwest. I’ve even made egg foo yung banh mi, which is not the same as banh mi op la (sunny side up eggs, drizzled with Maggi seasoning sauce and eaten with baguette).
RECIPE
Egg Foo Yung
Adding flour to the stir-fried mixture prevents the vegetables from getting weepy. It also lends body to the eggs.
Makes about 8 pancakes, to serve 4
About 4 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
¾ cup chopped raw shrimp, rehydrated shiitake mushroom, char siu pork, or leftover roast chicken
¼ cup chopped water chestnut
¼ cup finely chopped celery or bamboo shoot
2 cups bean sprouts
1 ½ tablespoons light (regular) soy sauce, plus more for dipping
1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use more for a firmer texture)
⅛ teaspoon ground black or white pepper
5 large eggs
1 or 2 thinly sliced Thai or Serrano chiles, chile garlic sauce, or Sriracha chile sauce
1. Heat 1 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet. Add the scallion and cook for about 15 seconds, or until aromatic. Add the shrimp, water chestnut, and celery. Cook for about 45 seconds, until aromatic.
Add the bean sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the soy sauce and cook for about 1 minute, until the bean sprouts have wilted. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, until the mixture coheres. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cooked mixture and combine well.
3. Pour enough oil to film the bottom of a medium or large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Ladle about ¼ cup of the egg mixture to form 4-inch-wide pancakes. Gently fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Between batches, replenish the oil and adjust the heat to prevent burning. Serve hot or warm with soy sauce and chiles or chile sauce.
Shuku says
You know, I have never seen egg foo yung made by flouring the vegetables before! I might have to try it with gluten-free flour as an experiment one day - here in Malaysia, we don't use any flour in this dish. Just plain eggs and whatever filling we put in.
Andrea Nguyen says
The flour thing came from James Beard. I thought it was weird at first but it made sense with the sprouts, which can release excess water during frying. It doesn't produce a cake batter like consistency. Regular rice flour would work instead, no?
Plain eggs is fine too and what I use for Vietnamese shrimp and scallion pancakes.
Shuku says
Yes! Regular rice flour (or even better, finely ground brown rice powder) would definitely work. I will -have- to try this now, since I have a proper kitchen space and a wok to mess around with. 🙂
Milo says
Growing up in Australia, I have never heard of this dish until now. Intrigued, I had this tonight for dinner with rice and nuoc cham and some do chua. I was pleasantly surpised with this dish and will be making it again. Reduced the recipe for 2 servings with 3 eggs. I also swapped the bamboo and water chestnut for some cabbage I had on hand. Thanks Andrea!
Dennis Reed says
Egg foo yung is definitely one of my favorite dishes. For the brown non-goopey sauce, I have some info and several recipes at http://dmreed.com/cooking-asian-recipes.php#asian-recipes-chinese_brown_gravy.
A "secret" sauce ingredient is just a bit of curry powder...not really enough to taste like curry but it does add real depth to the sauce.
Dennis Reed says
oops. remove the period:
http://dmreed.com/cooking-asian-recipes.php#asian-recipes-chinese_brown_gravy
Christian Loboutin says
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Beats by Dre says
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marlon says
On the contrary, egg foo yung is an easy, versatile food that i can adapt pretty much however i want.
Kristi Tornabene says
I love egg foo yung and I have cooked with flour before (fried cabbage) when I found this recipe that seemed to be the perfect recipe I had been looking for. I used spelt flour for the regular flour, and it turned out wonderful. Thanks for this great recipe. I became a health coach to help people maintain their best health through middle age. This will be a staple for some. I am half Asian, and helping people find a variety of interesting food with vegetables will be fun. Thanks, and I will be back!
zoe b says
I, too, love old James Beard recipes and egg foo young. Thanks.
Sarah B says
Tried this with shrimp, bok choy and substituted
wheat flour for almond flour. Tasted fantastic!
Texture was spot on.