“Egg Foo Young,” also known as “Chinese Omelette,” is a popular dish in Chinese cuisine that offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures. Originating in Chinese-American cuisine, this dish showcases a blend of ingredients bound together with beaten eggs and typically served with a savory gravy.
Egg Foo Young is a savory and satisfying dish that brings together the heartiness of eggs with a variety of ingredients such as vegetables, meats, and sometimes seafood. This dish is often found on the menus of Chinese-American restaurants, where it has become a beloved comfort food. While its origins are debated, Egg Foo Young has certainly found its place in both American and Chinese culinary traditions.
Egg Foo Young – terrific quick dinner idea!
Even though I recommend having omelettes for dinner on a regular basis, I get the impression that most of us will continue to think of them as something we eat for breakfast.
But leave it to the Chinese to figure out a way to firmly establish omelettes as a regular part of the dinner cycle!
What is Egg Foo Young?
Egg Foo Young is a sort of Chinese omelette that consists of eggs mixed with veggies and typically some type of protein (pork or prawns are prominent examples) before being doused in a sauce that is traditionally used in Chinese stir fries. It is said to have been initially created by Chinese Chefs in America as a method to make use of leftovers; hence, it is not entirely real, despite the fact that China does have dishes that are comparable to it.
Both the fillings and the name, which can be written egg foo yung, egg fu yung, or egg foo yong, are subject to a great deal of variation. Something similar to how there are many different ways to spell “Chinese Lettuce Cups,” also known as “San Choy Bow.”
On Chinese menus in some places, Egg Foo Young is referred to as “omelette” instead of its full name. Sometimes they are more compact, like the ones that I’ve constructed, and other times they are as big as dinner plates!
The Egg Foo Young Formula
Due to the fact that Egg Foo Young originated as a way to make use of leftover veggies and proteins, the dish may be prepared with virtually any vegetables and meats. Use:
2 cups of add-ins for every 6 eggs used in the recipe.
Add Ins are defined as proteins that have been cooked, uncooked shrimp or prawns, fish, meat that has been minced or ground, and vegetables.
Since prawn or shrimp and pig are the two types that appear on restaurant menus the most frequently, I will discuss both of these today.
The perfect ingredients for this dish are raw veggies that have been finely chopped and may be cooked through in the omelette in a matter of minutes. If you are going to use vegetables that require a longer period of time to cook, such as chopped zucchini, you should first sauté them in a little bit of oil and maybe some garlic for added flavor, and then add them to the batter.
Making Egg Foo Young
To make Egg Foo Young, the Add Ins of your choice—pork, shrimp, and vegetables—are combined straight into eggs that have been whisked, and the dish is then fried in a skillet in the same manner as a standard omelette. It is served with a Chinese brown sauce, which is a straightforward sauce that only requires four ingredients and can be prepared in a matter of minutes.
First, prepare the gravy for the Egg Foo Young:
Add some soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) or Mirin*, sesame oil, cornflour or cornstarch for thickening, and freshly ground black pepper. Simply combine everything and let it simmer till it thickens;
Optional ground pork or other types of minced/ground meat:
To impart flavor into pig or any other ground or minced meat, combine equal parts soy sauce, sugar, and oyster sauce before mixing through the meat. After that, place small scoops of the uncooked pork directly into the bowl containing the eggs. Believe me when I say that it will be fully cooked by the time the omelette is finished cooking!
Option with Prawns or Shrimp:
If you are creating the shrimp version, simply add the raw shrimp to the batter as it is being prepared. If your shrimp are on the larger side, you should cut them up into smaller pieces.
Include some vegetables:
Now add the vegetables that you have selected to use. Bean sprouts and green onions are two of the ingredients in this dish.
The preparation of Egg Foo Young is identical to the preparation of a standard omelette. Put the mixture in a skillet using a ladle, and then start cooking it.
Serve drenched in the flavorful gravy made with Egg Foo Young!
Is Egg Foo Young authentic Chinese?
Like Chinese takeout favorites like Chow Mein and Beef & Broccoli, Egg Foo Young is Westernized. Stuffed omelettes in China are frequently drizzled with soy sauce rather than egg foo young.
Is Egg Foo Young healthy?
Homemade gg Foo Young is one of the healthiest Chinese takeaway dinners! While restaurants cook omelettes in a lot of oil, making them at home makes a low-fat, high-protein, low-carb supper.
As shown, add a handful of fresh bean sprouts for extra nourishment.