Egg Foo Young
A Chinese American classic, these crispy golden omelets are doused in a savory soy sauce-based gravy.
- Serves
8
- Time
55 minutes
Chinese American writer Mei Chin first tried this fried egg delicacy when she was 21 years old. “I had been expecting something like egg drop soup over fried rice, so I was amazed to be presented with such an elegant dish,” she says. “It was a lacy golden omelet with an elaborate filling mixed in—bean sprouts and minced water chestnuts; bits of roast pork and fresh shrimp; chopped scallions. Pillowy and punctuated with crunchy vegetables, it was bronzed at its edges from frying. At its side was a silver sauceboat of brown gravy, which was thick and savory, a little bit sweet and a little bit salty.” She immediately understood why the dish developed by Cantonese immigrants in the United States during the mid-1800s became an icon of Chinese-American cuisine.
At the famed Shun Lee Palace in New York City, a version of this egg foo young has been on the menu since the restaurant first opened in 1971. The chefs have a great trick for forming the omelets: They use a wok ladle to place the egg mixture into the oil so that it sets in the shape of the ladle's bowl.
Featured in “Orient Express” by Mei Chin.
Ingredients
For the gravy:
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp. dry sherry
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- One ½-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
For the omelets:
- 1⁄2 lb. ground pork
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
- 1½ tsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. dry sherry
- 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sesame oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 6 oz. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
- 1⁄2 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 1⁄3 cup bean sprouts
- 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced (about 1⁄3 cup), plus more for serving
- 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
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