Once you learn how to make Chinese Steamed Eggs (蒸蛋), you will make them continuously. Not only is it delicious and comforting, the recipe is so easy to remember, you’ll know it by heart.
A recipe for every moment
If you find yourself short of a dish to serve for dinner, make a Chinese steamed egg.
Want something to warm you up on a cold day? Prepare steamed eggs.
What if someone in your family is sick or you want a soft food to feed your baby? Steamed egg is there for you.
What if you’re too lazy to prepare a complicated dinner? You guessed it. Steamed egg.
Known in Cantonese as “waat dan” or “slippery egg,” this is a versatile, anytime Chinese comfort food. You can never go wrong.
If you hadn’t grown up with this, you’d never think of steaming eggs, but the result is a silky, almost custard-like dish. It is great for children and the elderly. It can be rustic or fancy… rural or uptown.
Poor Sarah has a bad cold, so I thought this would be a good time to make her a Chinese steamed egg as a cold remedy.
Instead of just using water, I added some chicken broth for extra flavor and nutrients. If you want to keep it vegetarian you can also use vegetable broth.
How to set up a steamer (without special equipment
If you don’t have much experience with steaming food, you may be wondering how to set up a steamer. You have more options:
- Wok with lid and rack for steaming or empty metal canister
- Any deep pot with lid and steamer rack or empty can
- Bamboo steamer in the wok (provided it can fit a plate of eggs)
- Metal steamer
All you really need is a covered container with boiling water in the bottom and some sort of rack (an empty tuna can works well) on which to place the heatproof dish of eggs. As long as the steam can circulate around the pot, it will cook the eggs.
A starting point
I’ve seen many versions of this Chinese dish of steamed eggs, with mushrooms, a drizzle of soy sauce, clams, crab, chicken.
Basically, you’re the chef and think of this Chinese steamed egg recipe as a starting point. Customize it and prepare it however you like.
We ourselves have several examples!
We love our Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork, which involves making a quick meat topping to put on top of the eggs. Kaitlin’s Tri-Color Steamed Eggs adds salted duck eggs and millenary eggs. Both recipes transform the dish into a more substantial meal. Even adding vegetables like okra and a drizzle of soy sauce can make the dish even prettier!
We also have a recipe in our cookbook, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family. In that recipe, we season steamed eggs with ground chicken and oyster mushrooms. It’s delicious.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Now I’ll show you how simple it is to make!
Steamed eggs: recipe instructions
Crack 3 eggs into a liquid measuring cup and note the volume (usually around 2/3 cup).
Pour the eggs into a large bowl, add the salt and beat for at least 1 minute (or just do it in the measuring cup).
Now measure the water in the same quantity as the eggs and add it to the bowl. Do the same with the chicken broth. Whisk in the sesame oil and make sure everything is well combined.
Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a shallow, heatproof baking dish (a Pyrex cake pan works well).
The strainer prevents bubbles from forming and gives a glassy texture, similar to our Hong Kong egg tarts.
Tip!
If you want to prepare individual steamed eggs, you can also pour the mixture into individual molds. This recipe makes enough for 4 molds.
If any small bubbles remain, you can remove them with a spoon or use your finger to pop them. The surface of the egg should be smooth and glassy.
Fill your steamer with just enough water to simmer for a few minutes. The water should not touch the egg dish. (See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re unfamiliar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.) Bring to a boil.
Once boiled, place the dish with the eggs in the steamer and cover. Keep the heat medium-high to high. The water should boil slowly.
Steam the eggs for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, turn off the heat but keep the steamer covered. Leave to rest for 14 minutes with the lid tightly covered. Remove the steamed egg dishes from the steamer, sprinkle with the shallots and serve.
After it’s cooled a bit outside the steamer, simply use a spoon to scoop up those delicious Chinese steamed eggs!
For an extra touch of flavor, you can also drizzle the egg with a little light soy sauce:
Steamed Eggs
Steamed eggs are a Chinese comfort food. With just a handful of ingredients, this recipe is so simple, you’ll make it by heart!
serves: 4 portions
Preparation: 3 minutes
Cooked: 17 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Prevents the screen from going dark
Instructions
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Crack 3 eggs into a liquid measuring cup and note the volume. Pour the eggs into a large bowl, add the salt and beat for at least 1 minute. Now measure the water in the same quantity as the eggs and add it to the bowl. Do the same with the broth. Whisk in the sesame oil and make sure everything is well combined.
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Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a baking dish (a Pyrex cake pan works well) or divide into 4 ramekins.
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Boil the water in the steamer. Place the dish with the eggs in the steamer, cover and cook over high heat for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, turn off the heat, but keep the steamer covered. Leave to rest for 14 minutes with the lid tightly covered. Remove from the steamer, sprinkle with the shallot and serve.
nutritional data
Calories: 66kcal (3%) Carbohydrates: 1G Protein: 5G (10%) Fat: 4G (6%) Saturated fat: 1G (5%) Cholesterol: 123mg (41%) Sodium: 239mg (10%) Potassium: 96mg (3%) Fiber: 1G (4%) Sugar: 1G (1%) Vitamin A: 210UI (4%) Vitamin C: 0.6mg (1%) Soccer: 18mg (2%) Iron: 0.7mg (4%)
Note: This recipe was originally published on January 29, 2015. We have since updated it with new photos, clearer instructions, and nutritional information. The recipe itself is the same. Enjoy!
