silky steamed eggs
2 min readThe best part of this dish is its simplicity: a mixture of eggs and water that transforms into a tender and silky wonder via the magic of steam. An old rule of thumb is that every egg should have three half-eggshells worth of water added to it. You can replace the water with chicken stock for more flavour, and/or add spring onions, fish fillets, dried shrimp or dried scallops.
Serves 4 large eggs tsp salt 3 pinches granulated sugar to serve light soy sauce sesame oil ground white pepper add an exotic 3 kong yu chu (dried scallops) 14 tsp cornflour pinch salt 1 If you are adding an exotic: rinse the kong yu chu then soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.
Use your fingers to break up the natural fibres then put in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of the soaking liquid and set the remaining liquid aside. Rub in the cornflour and salt.
Microwave, covered, for 30 seconds. Set aside.
2 Put the eggs, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Using a halved eggshell as a measure, add 12 mea-sures of cold water(about 200ml) and whisk everything well. Pour the eggs into steam-proof dish: if you want a mirror-smooth surface, pour the eggs through a sieve first to catch the froth.
If using kong yu chu, use the soaking liquid along with any additional cold water needed to make up the 12 measures, and after transferring to the steaming dish, scatter in half of the kong yu chu.
3 Bring some water to the boil in a wok or large saucepan that will fit your dish, with a steaming rack set inside. Use a glass lid if you have one as it will help you see when the egg is ready. Add the eggs then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and steam for 6-8 minutes until the eggs are set but still wobbly in the centre. If you see them puffing up, briefly lift the lid to release some steam. Scatter over the remaining kong yu chu, if using, at the 4 minute mark and steam untilset. Serve with a drizzle of light soy sauce and sesame oil along with a sprinkling of pepper.
