Shrimp Egg Foo Yung

Chef James Beard once stated that egg foo yung was a Chinese dish that had been “pretty thoroughly Americanized.” The Chinese who cooked for logging and railroad camps during the turn of the century likely brought the dish to the States.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 ⁄2 cup mung bean sprouts

4 snow peas

1 ⁄4 red bell pepper

2–4 tablespoons oil

1 oyster mushroom cap, thinly sliced

1–2 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 eggs

1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 ⁄8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 ⁄2 teaspoon sugar

1 green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 ounces cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Blanch the bean sprouts and snow peas by plunging them briefly into boiling water and quickly removing. Drain well.

2. Remove the seeds from the red pepper and cut into thin slices about 1 inch long. Chop the snow peas.

3. Add 1 ⁄2 tablespoon oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, sauté the oyster mushroom slices briefly, just until they collapse. (You can sauté the button mushrooms as well or leave them raw.) Remove from the wok and set aside.

4. Lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the salt, pepper, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix in the vegetables and the cooked shrimp. 5. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When the oil is hot, add a quarter of the egg mixture. Cook until the bottom is cooked, then turn over and cook the other side.Continue with the remainder of the egg mixture, adding more oil if necessary, making 4 omelets. Serve with hoisin or other savory sauce.

Egg Foo Yung Without the Sauce

Although they taste fine on their own, egg foo yung dishes are normally meant to be accompanied by a savory sauce. If not serving a sauce, consider adding small amounts of powerful seasonings such as chili paste or hoisin sauce to the egg mixture.

hancheng

See author's posts