Egg foo young
Vegetable-filled egg patties with a light brown gravy.
Chinese-American · Firm, Tender · Easy · Researched
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2
20–24 cm frying pan · Small saucepan · Silicone spatula · Small bowl · Food thermometer
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 60 g bean sprouts, rinsed and dried
- 40 g onion, thinly sliced
- 40 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce for the eggs
- 150 ml unsalted stock
- 1 tsp soy sauce for the gravy
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp cold water, for the cornflour
Method
Prepare filling and gravy
In the frying pan, cook onion and mushrooms in 1 tbsp oil over moderate heat for 3 minutes, then tip them onto a plate to cool. In the small saucepan, bring the stock, gravy soy and sugar to a simmer. Stir the cornflour into the cold water until smooth, stir it into the stock and simmer for 1 minute. Set the gravy aside.
Look for: The gravy lightly coats a spoon.
Mix the eggs
Beat eggs with their soy sauce. Fold in cooled onion and mushrooms and dry bean sprouts.
Look for: The vegetables are coated with egg, without excess water.
Fry small patties
The mixture makes about six small patties, so fry them in two batches. Heat half the remaining oil in the frying pan and spoon in three patties, leaving space between them. Cook over moderate heat for about 2–3 minutes, until the edges are golden, then turn each one with a wide spatula and cook the second side. Repeat with the rest of the oil and mixture.
Look for: The underside is golden and firm enough to turn.
Check and serve
Cook until the centres reach 71°C / 160°F and no raw egg remains. Rewarm the gravy briefly, stirring, and serve it over the patties.
Look for: The centre holds together when cut.
Equipment & heat
Equipment & heat
On induction, start with low-to-moderate power and watch the oil; avoid boost. Gas also works: keep the flame beneath the base. On electric, move the pan to a cool ring if the egg sets faster than you can work. The oil should move freely without smoking. This is a shallow-pan home method; avoid excessive heat that browns the surface before the centre sets.
Nonstick: A good fit. Use a silicone or wooden utensil.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Patties falling apart need smaller portions and less watery filling. Cook and drain bulky vegetables first.
About this version
About this version
A vegetable home adaptation of Chinese-American egg foo young. Restaurant versions may use deeper oil and cooked pork or prawns.
Unless stated otherwise, use large chicken eggs, approximately 60 g in the shell, refrigerated. Timings are starting points: use the visual checkpoints and any stated temperature check.
Sources
This guide was written from the references below. Egg Atlas has not kitchen-tested it.
Illustrations by Egg Atlas. They show the method; they are not photographs of a tested result.