Chinese Style Savory Steamed Eggs (鸡蛋羹 或 蒸水蛋)
This is a Chinese (Shanghainese) recipe for a simple, easy-to-make savory egg pudding. The entire recipe takes about 30 minutes to complete.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or table salt
- ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ to 1 cup water
- 3 to 4 medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)—Optional
- 1 tablespoon thinly-sliced scallions (green parts)—Optional
Instructions
- 1
Begin heating water in a steamer.
- 2
Gather all the ingredients. Thaw the shrimp if frozen. Meanwhile, prepare the scallions by thinly slicing the green part of the scallion.
- 3
Cut the shrimp into small pieces. Then add half of the ¼ teaspoon of salt to the shrimp pieces.
- 4
Place the shrimp pieces in a steamer-safe bowl (Pyrex, porcelain, ceramic, stainless steel, etc.), add the egg, the ¼ teaspoon of vegetable oil, and the rest of the ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- 5
Beat the egg mixture for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is very well beaten. You can use a conventional egg whisker, chopsticks, or even a fork. Do not skip this step as the texture of the egg pudding depends on it.
- 6
Add the water and beat the mixture again until well mixed. Sprinkle the sliced scallions on top of the mixture so that they are floating on top.
- 7
When the water is boiling in the steamer, carefully transfer the bowl to the steamer. Cover and let the egg mixture cook on high for 10-15 minutes depending on how much water you added.
- 8
After steaming, turn off the heat and remove the cover immediately. Leave the bowl on the steamer for a minute or two before transferring it to a safe surface. Be super careful while transferring as the dish is very hot.