Egg foo young is a Chinese-American omelet dish dating back to the California Gold Rush era. The omelet comes together with ingredients you probably already have in your refrigerator and it can be as easy as you want it to be.
This dish is so variable that you can substitute in any vegetables you like (carrots, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, bean sprouts, etc), but a good rule of thumb is to use a ratio of 1/4 cup of filling to 2 eggs. Serve it with rice, spread the sauce over top, and enjoy!
This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients
Omelet
8 large eggs
4 oz protein, cooked or raw (peeled shrimp, ground pork, thinly sliced beef, crumbled tofu, etc.)
¼ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup shredded carrot
¼ cup green beans, 1-2” long
3 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white separated
Salt and white pepper
Sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine (or other cooking wine)
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp sesame oil
Directions
Make the sauce ahead of time. In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the sesame oil. Stir to combine then set the heat to low. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 4-6 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Set aside until ready to serve.
Preheat a large skillet over high heat. If using raw protein, cook in the skillet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a medium bowl. Don’t worry if the meat is undercooked now, it will finish cooking with the eggs. Allow the protein to cool slightly, then add the eggs to the bowl and lightly beat with a fork or a pair of chopsticks.
If using cooked protein, add to the bowl with the eggs now. At this point, stir in the vegetables (use only the white section of the scallions here, reserving the green part for garnish), and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Mix through.
Add 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil to the skillet, swirling to coat the bottom, then pour in the egg
mixture. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes undisturbed, allowing the eggs to set. With a spatula, flip the omelet over (if the omelet breaks and needs to be flipped in sections, this is fine) and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. The eggs should be browned on the surface but still soft inside.
Slide the omelet onto a serving plate and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with the reserved green section of the scallions. Serve alongside steamed rice.
Buy the spices you need to make this recipe!
