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.
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe is only 264 calories per serving.
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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. (56 g) bean sprouts
- 2 oz. (56 g) 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
Instructions
- Crack 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.
- 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. 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. 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.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
3 peopleAmount Per Serving Calories 263Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 197mgSodium 415mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 11g
PW
Preferred onions and gravy added, Oh its on now”
Tone
I have yet to try this as the instruction are a bit confusing. Instructions says to beat egg and ad the rest of the ingredients into the egg mixture in step one, but step 2 says use a pair of chopsticks to transfer the beansprouts (which looks like it should have ben done in step 1) and then add other ingredients . What other ingredient’s? Step one already says add all other ingredients. Hoping someone can translate what this means. I can not add other ingredients in step one and two.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Tone, after you ladle the egg mixture on the skillet, bean sprouts and other ingredients will be spreading out. So use a pair of chopsticks to gather the bean sprouts and other ingredients and place in the middle.
Insecure Chef
Hello. Thank you for what looks like a great recipe. I can not, for various reasons, eat FRESH bean sprouts (or any fresh sprout for that matter). Could I use well drained canned bean sprouts in this recipe. I have been told that doing that will likely not allow the patty to stick together when it enters the hot oil. Can I have your opinion on that?
Thank you and regards.
Rasa Malaysia
Just skip bean sprouts if you can’t eat fresh bean sprouts.
Ann marie Renaud
Egg foo young rocks minus the shrimp and pork.still cooks and tastes Great!
Cathy
One of my favorite!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks!
Hazel
Were the ingredients for the sauce to be served with the omelette?
Rasa Malaysia
There is no sauce in this recipe. You mix the sauce in the egg mixture.
Escape from Forest
Part of what makes a food authentic has something to do with its “first experience” – I think. Of all the food I had in Malaysia I consider the version made in my mom’s kitchen to be the most authentic, or the hawker food I had during my first few years in life to be authentic. And then, for the rest of my life, is just a continuing journey trying to revisit that flavor (not much luck so far haha!). I am glad so many people around the world love Asian food, and found the flavor authentic to their own experience. I equally enjoy the different version of the same dish developed by creative people who enjoys the food as much as I do.
I grew up in Malaysia and Fuyoong Egg is my favorite whenever i have to work overtime. My version of Fuyoong Egg is accompanied with shrimp, onions and green onions, the eggs are beaten up with a bit of chicken broth, quick fried in high heat (and lots of oil… ), top it over rice, and squeeze some ketchup over. Yummy. Could definitely use less oil.
Theodore Davis
Thanks for prefacing about experience and authenticity. It allowed me to think before responding “Yuck!”. Ketchup on this dish doesn’t sound like my bag. But I know people who eat it on omelets and scrambled eggs all the time.
My creative way is to stir fry the meat as you would for another dish, and add that to the gravy. Like fried Mongolian beef, after it’s marinated in eggwhites, and soysauce, then coated with cornstarch. I put on the side, I put corn starch, and a tsp cornstarch, and white pepper in the egg mixture. Any stir fried vegetables. And fry. I then make a classic gravy, and toss in the Mongolian beef after it thickens. Then pour that over the plate of 4 or 5 patties laid overlapping on the plate. Then eat family style with white rice.
Karianne Franchetti
Okay that sounds amazing . I’m gonna have to give that a try . Thanks