Serves: 4
Total Calories: 190

2 scallion
1 cup Stock, Chicken or favorite stock
3 or 4 eggs
2 teaspoons sherry
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
soy sauce

1. Mince scallions. Heat (but do not boil) stock.

2. Beat eggs very lightly then combine with sherry, oil, salt, sugar and scallions. Slowly stir in heated stock. Transfer mixture to a shallow heatproof dish.

3. Steam over low heat until eggs are custard-like (20 to 30 minutes). See HOW-TO, _Steaming. (Check with a toothpick or knife to see if eggs are done: they should be semi-solid. If they're still runny, steam a few minutes more.)

4. Sprinkle lightly with soy sauce and serve right in the steaming dish.

NOTE: Steamed eggs are delicately flavored and nourishing. Their texture will be smooth and custard-like only if the air content is kept to a minimum. For this reason the eggs should not be overbeaten. Also stock, rather than water, is generally used (it has already been brought to a boil and the air is driven out). Heating the stock first also contributes to the smoothness by enabling it to blend better with the eggs. Steaming should always be done over low heat: too much heat causes the eggs to separate and form holes in the surface of the custard.

VARIATIONS:
* For the stock, substitute milk. Scald before adding, but do not boil. (Water is not recommended as a substitute, but if it is to be used, it should be brought to a boil first to drive out the air, then cooled slightly before adding.)
* In step 2, add 1 teaspoon ginger juice to the egg mixture.
* After step 2, add any of the "Basic Steamed Eggs: Ingredients", either alone or in the combinations indicated.
* In step 4, omit the soy sauce and sprinkle over eggs any of the following garnishes:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
a few drops of sesame oil
1 scallion stalk, minced
a few sprigs of Chinese parsley, chopped
* In step 4, top eggs with a garnish, stir-fried as follows: Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add 2 onions, minced 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, slivered 1/4 cup smoked ham, slivered and 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Then add 2 leaves of Chinese cabbage, shredded, and stir-fry 1 minute more. Sprinkle with the soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir in. Arrange over the steamed eggs and serve.

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

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 190
Calories from Fat: 46

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