What Does Egg Foo Young Mean?
Egg Foo Young is a Chinese-style omelet filled with ground pork and various vegetables. Sometimes misspelled as “egg foo yung”, it is a staple in American Chinese food, and its name comes from the Cantonese language.
“Foo Young” means lotus, as it is said the dish resembles that of a lotus flower.
In this recipe tutorial, you will learn how to make an authentic version of this popular egg dish.
A long time ago, when I first set my foot on the US soil for higher education, I went straight to the middle America. I flew from Malaysia and arrived in the state of Iowa. After touching down, I went straight to a Chinese restaurant and the first dish I ordered was Egg Foo Young.
When the dish came, I was shocked to find out that the American Chinese version was puffy and doused in a thick brown sauce. There was a thick filling of vegetables inside the eggs.
The taste was very bland and unappetizing. That was my first (sad) encounter with American Chinese food.
What Is the Difference between Egg Foo Young and Omelette?
The difference is the ingredients that are set in the egg mixture, or the filling. Furthermore, the omelet is cooked until the egg mixture is slightly brown. The egg foo young is cooked until it is golden brown, which makes it “overcooked” for omelet standards.
How to Make Egg Foo Young
Despite my horrible experience, many people love this egg dish. So I developed this Egg Foo Young recipe. I filled the omelet with ground pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts.
I combined the seasonings with the eggs, so there is no brown sauce on top of the eggs.
Egg Foo Young Gravy
If you are looking for the Americanized egg foo young with the brown gravy, please trust me on this. You do not need the gravy sauce.
If you are wondering if egg foo young is healthy for you, it’s not if you have the sodium-laden and starch-heavy gravy. My recipe is healthier and more delicious, I assure you.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 264 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Egg Foo Young
Egg Foo Young - Chinese-style omelet filled with ground pork and various vegetables. This is an authentic egg foo young recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 oz. bean sprouts
- 2 oz. ground pork
- 4 medium-sized shrimp peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 scallion cut into small rings
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine optional
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 3 tablespoons oil
Directions
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1Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients into the egg mixture, stir to combine well. Make sure the oyster sauce is fully dissolved in the egg mixture.
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2
Heat up a wok or a pan on high heat. Add the oil. When the oil is fully heated, ladle the egg mixture into the pan. Make sure that you keep the diameter of the omelet to about 4-5 inches wide.
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3
Use a pair of chopsticks to transfer the beansprouts and other ingredients to the middle of the omelet. The omelet should be thicker in the center. Let the omelet set, for about 3 minutes before flipping it over.
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4
Fry the omelet until both sides are golden brown and nicely puffed up. Repeat the same and use the remaining egg mixture to make a total of 3 omelets. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Alene
This taste exactly like the foo young I grew up on!!! Me and my family LOVE this recipe! You are a Godsend thank you!!!
Keisha
Bee,
This is THE BEST egg foo young recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!