A custardy, silky-smooth steamed egg topped with yummy garlic soy sauce and pickled cabbage. A delicious treat that’s super easy to make and so satisfying to eat!
This recipe the combination of two Asian dishes that we love: Japanese chawanmushi and Chinese douhua. We were inspired by chawanmushi’s soft, custardy texture, and by savoury douhua’s flavourful toppings.
This recipe is very easy, and the only thing to pay attention to is the steaming time. You want just the right steaming time to get the steamed egg to be cooked enough to hold together, but still get that silky smooth texture.
In this recipe, we used a 7-inch shallow porcelain bowl to steam the mixture in, with a steaming time of about 10 minutes on medium heat. The steaming time will vary with the size, type, and material of the bowl you use to steam the mixture in. It should be around 10 minutes in general, but to be sure, gently shake the bowl once you take it out of the steamer and the steamed egg should jiggle slightly without any visible uncooked liquid. It will also harden slightly as you let it cool to room temperature, so you shouldn’t overcook it.
The pickled cabbage we used is the Chinese pickled cabbage. The brand we bought already had the picked cabbage cut into small bite-sized pieces. You might have to chop them smaller depending on the brand you use.
We love how easy this recipe is and how some simple ingredients can make such a delicious dish. We hope you enjoy it and happy eating!
Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 300 ml chicken broth low sodium or unsalted
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese pickled cabbage
Instructions
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In a bowl, beat the eggs for about 1 minute or until smooth and there is no more large strands of egg whites. Transfer into a measuring cup, and you should have about 150 ml of beaten egg. Transfer to a large bowl.
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Add about 300 ml of chicken broth to the beaten egg and whisk well until well combined. The amount of chicken broth should be double the amount of beaten egg (ratio of 1:2). Pass mixture through a strainer and transfer to a shallow, heat resistant bowl. Scoop out the bubbles that form on the surface of the mixture using a spoon.
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Cover the bowl with saran wrap and steam on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let chill to room temperature. It should be ready when the steamed egg jiggles slightly when you shake the bowl and there is no liquid on the surface. Note that the steamed egg will harden as you cool it to room temperature, therefore it is important not to overcook it.
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Heat canola oil on a pan over medium high heat and stir fry the garlic until slightly golden. Add in the pickled cabbage and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add in the low-sodium soy sauce and sesame oil and combine well. Pour the mixture over the steamed egg and serve.