Serves: 5

So versatile are the Chinese with eggs that whole cookbooks have been written on the subject. Eggs are cooked in all possible ways: steamed, stirred or scrambled, pan-fried, deep-fried, boiled, poached, simmered (in soy sauce, gravies and tea) or used in omelets, soufflés and egg puddings.

Eggs are not usually cooked alone but combined with other ingredients. These may be meat or seafood and vegetables. (If already cooked, the ingredients are cut up fine and combined directly with the eggs. If raw, they're usually stir-fried first.)

Fried eggs, stirred eggs and omelets are all cooked quickly over high heat. In the case of fried eggs, the oil or lard must be nearly smoking. This makes for egg whites that are crisp and crusty for yolks that retain their moistness. Stirred or scrambled eggs are cooked over medium-high heat. They are pushed about quickly with a spatula while the pan is tilted so that most of the liquid egg comes directly in contact with the hot oil. This puffs up the eggs, makes them light and airy. Stirred eggs are removed from the stove while still quite moist: they cook to the right consistency in their own heat by the time they reach the table. Chinese omelets cooked over high heat are characteristically browned on the outside, soft on the inside, with their ingredients or fillings quickly heated through.

The original or classic egg foo yung is a light, airy soufflé made with egg whites and minced chicken breast. (Its name derives from both a white hibiscus flower and a Chinese bird whose colors resemble pure white jade.) The foo yung more familiar to Westerners is a hearty combination of whole eggs, shredded meat or seafood, and vegetables, cooked together as a thick, solid pancake. There are two versions of the more familiar variety:· home-style and restaurant-style. Home-style egg foo yung is pan-fried either as one large omelet or as several small ones. The restaurant version is deep-fried, with the mixture dropped from a ladle into the hot oil to make a number of small omelets.

Boiled eggs (invariably hard-boiled) are eaten with a soy sauce dip or else pot-stewed afterward-that is, shelled and then simmered in the sauce of red-cooked meat or poultry until permeated with the savory flavors of these sauces. Poached eggs are used as garnishes for steamed rice and soups. Steamed custard-like eggs have their smooth blandness set off by ingredients that are highly flavored or salty.

NOTE: Leftover egg whites can be used in soufflés, chicken velvet, bird's nest soup and various batters for deep-fried foods. Leftover yolks can be used in omelets, egg puddings, as egg threads or poached directly in hot soup as a garnish.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Egg Dishes
Basic Deep-Fried Egg Foo Yung
Basic Egg Pudding
Basic Omelet
Basic Omelet with Variations
Basic Pan-Fried Egg Foo Yung
Basic Pan-Fried or Deep-Fried Egg Foo Yung: Combinations
Basic Steamed Eggs
Basic Steamed Eggs: Ingredients
Basic Stirred Eggs
Basic Stirred Eggs with Variations
Basic Stuffed Omelets
Chicken Soufflé
Coin Purse Eggs
Crabmeat Soufflé I
Crabmeat Soufflé II
Deep-Fried Coated Eggs
Deep-Fried Eggs And Vegetables
Egg Pouch Omelets
Egg Pouch Omelets: Filling
Egg Pudding With Dried Scallops
Fish Soufflé
Fried Eggs With Soy Sauce
Ham Egg Foo Yung
Hard-Boiled Salt Eggs
Iron Pot Eggs
Oyster Omelet
Oyster Pancakes
Pork And Shrimp Egg Foo Yung
Roast Pork Egg Foo Yung
Shark's Fin Omelet I
Shark's Fin Omelet II
Shrimp And Bean Sprout Soufflé
Shrimp Pancakes
Shrimp Soufflé
Soy Duck Eggs
Soy Eggs
Steamed Eggs And Fish Fillets
Steamed Eggs And Stir-Fried Pork
Steamed Eggs With Clams in their Shells
Steamed Eggs With Whole Lobster
Steamed Gold-and-Silver Eggs
Steamed Omelet Rolls
Steamed Preserved Eggs
Steamed Three-Kinds-of-Eggs
Stirred Eggs And Fish
Stirred Eggs And Pork I
Stirred Eggs And Pork II
Stirred Eggs And Pork III
Stirred Eggs With Pork And Shrimp
Stirred Eggs With Pork And Vermicelli
Stuffed Eggs: Hard-Boiled, Steamed and Deep-Fried
Stuffed Omelet: Pork Filling
Stuffed Omelet: Shrimp Filling
Sweet-and-Pungent Preserved Eggs
Tea Eggs
Vegetable Soufflé