Steamed Eggs

If you ever tried Chinese steamed eggs (egg custard), it will amaze you with its super smooth, savory fresh taste and heavenly soft texture. It is a childhood food from memory. We will know how to make the super smooth steamed egg with options to twist common steamed eggs into something really interesting and more nutritious.

Simple but Super great

Perfect Chinese steamed egg. Soft, smooth, and tender steamed egg (蒸鸡蛋) is a comforting food for lots of Chinese children and a time-saving dish for house cooks. We love to make steam a small bowl of eggs and serve it as a side dish or make a large bowl and share it with the whole family.

Only with super common ingredients, those steamed egg is a must for daily cooking especially if you get old or younger eater in the family. Why? Because the steamed egg is easier to absorb and does not need too much chew. I love steamed eggs so much recently because I get my wisdom tooth removed.

A successful steamed egg

The process of making a Chinese steamed egg is super easy, crack the egg, add water, steam, and add seasonings. Seems quite simple, right? But there are some tips you need to pay attention to make it perfect.

The successful steamed egg should be smooth both on the surface and inside with a very soft and silky texture.  No layer difference. You can see from the following picture, the egg custard is quite uniform in texture. It not only has a super smooth texture and also the inside part is quite smooth too.

This version is a basic Chinese steamed egg recipe, then followed along with some lovely ideas to turn it into something more interesting for example adding minced pork sauce, add seafood. You can also add tofu. ed with vegetables and mushrooms.

Egg and Water Ratio

The perfect egg and water ratio might be slightly different based on your preference and whether you need to add some extra ingredients on top. The perfect ratio can range from 1.5 times to 2 times (water VS egg in volume). Too much egg makes a hard and non-melt curd while too much water will prevent the curd to form.

• If you prefer a super soft texture, use a 2:1 ratio (water vs egg in volume).
• If you need to add some extra toppings like shrimp or meat sauce, use a 1.5:1 ratio (water vs egg in volume).
• You can range from the scope to find the best balance.

Water quality and temperature

Warm water is the key point to getting a smooth texture. Sometimes you find that your egg custard is almost perfect, but there are very small bubbles inside. Boil your water first and then let it cool for a while around (40 degrees C). Raw water contains lots of impurities and can cause small bubbles. Small bubbles are different from the honeycomb texture which is caused by over-strong fire.  They will not puff up on the surface, but they cause small holes in the inside of the steamed egg.

Why salt is necessary for the egg liquid

Adding salt is a key point to speed up the firming process as it can work as an electrolyte. Short-time firming process help to create a tender texture. In addition, salt can also add a basic flavor and remove the raw taste of the egg.

Strain the liquid to remove the impurities

After mixing with the egg liquid, strain with a fine strainer to remove the impurities of the egg. Those impurities will cause bumps in the steamed egg.

Count the time after the water boils

Boil the water first before setting up the steamer so we can calculate the time actually (I usually steam with cold water after I know the rule of my fire and pot). Then slow down the fire to the middle or slow the fire to steam the egg liquid. The yolk and white mixture becomes together at around 165 degrees F (73 degrees C). If the temperature is too high, the out section loses water quickly and forms a honeycomb texture.

Hong long to steam

How much time should I steam for the ideal texture? There are lots of factors that may influence the steaming time for perfect steamed egg custard. Basically, it depends on the volume of the egg custard, especially the height. If you use a shallow deep pan, then 9 minutes is enough. If your steamer is taller and the egg custard is thicker, 10 to 12 minutes can be a better option. In most cases, I will suggest starting from 9 minutes.

Let it stand for 5 minutes

When the steaming time is up, turn off the fire and let the steamed egg stand for 5 minutes before transferring it out.

Choose the container

You either choose a larger pan to make a large 3 or 4 servings. Or you can divide the egg liquid into smaller containers for single servings.

What are the reasons cause failure?

1. Egg liquid firms but with lots of bubbles and a honeycomb texture — fire is too strong. Large bubbles are caused by the strong movement of the liquid. So further slow down your fire. 
2. Egg liquid does not firm at all — too much water added or lack of steaming time
3. Egg liquid firms and gets up and downs on the surface — vapor drops in and spoils the surface
4. Everything looks perfect judging from the appearance but there are very small bubbles inside — fine bubbles usually are bought by the water or stock you use. If raw water is used, it may contain some fine bubbles and leave the bubble in the egg liquid. Next time, use boiled water (set aside and cool down) or stock.

Ingredients for steamed egg

• Egg – organic fresh eggs create the best flavors and taste. Use room temperature egg.
• Salt- salt can speed up the curling process and give the egg mixture a basic flavor
• Warm water – 40 degrees C warm water can decrease the movement of the egg liquid and thus create more smooth inside texture.
• Light soy sauce – adding on the well-steamed egg custard to give the dish a more appealing looking and a savory and fresh taste.
• Sesame oil – enhances the flavor of steamed egg custard.
• Chopped scallion – add some green color and freshness.

🥘Instructions

Add salt to the egg and gently whisk eggs. And then pour in warm water. Combine well.

Strain the egg liquid.

Transfer the strained egg liquid into small bowls. Remove any bubbles on the surface if there are any. If you are using a large plate, then simply strain the egg liquid to the plate.

Set up the steamer, bring the water to a boil, and slow down the fire to simmer for 9 to 12 minutes depending on your container.

Remove from the fire and wait for 5 minutes to cool down a little bit. Transfer the containers out. Drizzle some sesame oil and light soy sauce and garnish with chopped spring onion on top.

Turn the steamed egg into something more interesting

If you want to add some extra flavor, texture, or rich nutrition, you can add toppings to the egg custard or some other ingredients.

Add ingredients in the egg liquid – you can add tofu, vegetables, or seafood like clams in the serving container.

Or you can add a meat sauce as a topping. Steamed egg with ground meat is a very popular main dish for family with children.

Ingredients for the meat sauce

• 150g ground meat
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• pinch of pepper
• 1 thumb ginger
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 5 tablespoon water

Steps

Heat oil in wok and fry ginger until aromatic. Then add minced pork to fry until golden brown, add pepper, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce. Then pour in starch water. Simmer for a while until the sauce thickened. Spread the meat sauce over the steamed egg.

Sometimes shrimp can also be added on top of the steam egg. But the method is slightly different. We need to steam the egg custard for around 7 to 8 minutes until the surface hardened. Then place peeled shrimp on top.

Then continue heating for 2 minutes. The shrimp on the egg custard can be super tender.