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United States, Americas

Egg Foo Young

The Chinese-American takeout classic: fluffy egg patties packed with shrimp, bean sprouts and onion, smothered in a glossy brown gravy.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time30 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsCook the patties until the egg in the middle is fully set and the shrimp are pink and opaque all the way through.

Method

  1. Peel and devein the shrimp, then chop them into 1 cm pieces. Slice the onion thinly. Cut the scallions into 3 cm lengths, keeping a few green tops aside for garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and dry them well on paper towels; wet sprouts make the oil spit and the patties fall apart.

  2. Make the gravy first. Put the stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar in a 16 cm saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir the cornstarch and water into a smooth slurry (stir again right before using, as it settles), pour it in while stirring, and simmer for until the gravy is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and cover to keep warm.

    Add in this stepChicken stock 200 mlOyster sauce 1½ tspSoy sauce (for the gravy) 1 tspDark soy sauce ½ tspSugar ½ tspCornstarch 3 tspWater (for the slurry) 3 tbspToasted sesame oil ½ tsp

    medium heat

  3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the soy sauce and white pepper, and beat until no streaks of white remain. Add the shrimp, bean sprouts, onion and the scallions (not the garnish) and mix well.

    Add in this stepEggs 4Soy sauce 1 tspWhite pepper 1 pinchRaw shrimp, peeled and deveined 100 gMung bean sprouts 80 gOnion 50 gScallions 1½

  4. Heat the oil in a 26 cm frying pan over medium-high heat for , until it shimmers. Test with a drop of the egg mixture: it should sizzle and puff up at once.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 4 tbsp

    medium-high heat

  5. Turn the heat down to medium heat. Stir the mixture (the fillings sink), then ladle in about 120 ml per patty and use the back of the ladle to gather the fillings into a neat round about 10 cm wide. Fry for per side until golden brown, flipping carefully with two spatulas, turning the patty away from you so the oil doesn't splash you. It is done when the middle feels firm and the shrimp are pink. Number of rounds: 2; let the oil reheat for 30 seconds between rounds and drain the patties on a rack or paper towels.

    medium heat

  6. Rewarm the gravy, stirring; if it has become too thick, loosen it with a splash of water. Stack the patties on plates, pour plenty of gravy over and scatter with the reserved scallion greens. Serve hot with steamed rice.

    Add in this stepScallions ½

Cook's tip

Keep the patties fairly thin and the heat at medium: too hot and the outside burns before the middle sets. No shrimp? Use diced roast pork, ham or cooked chicken. The gravy thickens as it cools, so pour it on just before eating.

Cooking it at camp

Make the gravy at home and reheat it in a small pot on the burner. Carry the beaten eggs in a lidded jar in a well-iced cooler. On a single burner, fry one round at a time in a non-stick pan and keep the cooked patties warm wrapped in foil.