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My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for perfect Chinese dishes
FREE EMAIL BONUS:
My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for Chinese dishes
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.
Egg Foo Young
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 oz (60g) bean sprouts
- 2 oz (60g) 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 (10cm-12cm) 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
I have to have the recipe for the sauce for egg foo young??? Love that sauce.
thank you
jg
Hello ! Thank you for sharing egg foo young recipe. I tried this and my family was so impressed . Any easy recipes for making banana pancakes ? Thanks and waiting for hear back .
Hi, I lived in Chicago and now live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We have excellent egg foo young in several places here. I usually get the “house” specialty that has both shrimp and pork, and when I make it myself I use both. Actually, I like a good brown gravy on mine but this is the way I learned to eat it in China Town in Chicago. I know which place to buy good egg foo young. Most of the owners of Chinese Rest. here are actually Vietnamese so I make certain I eat at one owned and run by Chinese, it makes a difference. My favorite food is Filipino and I cook an excellent adobo, pansit & lumpia. Thank you for the egg foo young recipe as I am sharing it.
I must take your word for the sorry egg foo young you had in Iowa, but I’ve never had any that had flour or starch in the egg mixture. Seems to me it’s referred to as a “pancake” because the little omelet is shaped like a pancake rather than the traditional omelet Americans are used to. Just eggs with mostly bean sprouts and scallions has been my experience. With, of course, the brown sauce. Americans do love some sauce to put on their rice!
It doesn’t say how to make the gravy, I always have problems with making gravy
My egg foo young doesn’t have any gravy. You don’t need the gravy. This is better without it.
I beg to differ. The brown sauce doesn’t add any taste to the egg foo young, instead it kills the dish. Why don’t you try my egg foo young recipe and tell me that if you indeed need the brown sauce?
Manhattan Elite, you come off as rather rude. You do not speak for all Americans, and to insult the author”s recipe without trying it? I was born and raised in Chicago, and am quite familiar with egg food young – it is one of my favorite dishes – and always specifically order it WITHOUT GRAVY. I HATE THE GRAVY personally. Remember to each his on her own, and why not have an open mind and try new things? And for the record, this recipe is exactly what I was looking for and delicious!!!!
No one speaks for all Americans but there are plenty of us who like a good gravy with our dish. Not the thick starchy flavorless mess but a good thin gravy. Manhattan Elite didn’t come off as rude in my opinion. Fantastic recipe by Rasa but don’t disrespect those of us who love a nice gravy.
Egg foo yung
It’s never left for me. I’ve had bad one and good ones and this recipe looks real good
So don’t say it making a come back when it’s never left
I keep coming back to your Egg Foo Young recipe. It is so easy and tasty.
I have found if I drop the ground meat into the oiled wok for a quick fry to help crumble it just barely, toss in the vegetables, and pour the egg on top. Seems to dent the heat and prevent the eggs from browning too quick.
Sauce? On rare occasion a touch of hoisin, nothing more.
Great that you are enjoying my egg foo young recipe!
I have loved egg fu yong since i was a teenager but never tried to make it. I will be making it this week according to your recipe and I’m sure it will turn out just great.
I am of hispanic origin and cannot get the ingredients i need to make the food of my country here in Greece. So, since I have no problem getting chinese food ingredients here in Greece, I have decided to cook Chinese recipies! I will let you know how the egg fu yong turns out. Thx, GK
Thanks Gloria I hope you like it.
Is there any substitution for shaoxing wine?..I cannot find 1 in AK. Thanks! :)
You can skip it.
Ive always liked a brown gravy made with oyster sauce wit my egg foo yung.