• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Couple Eats Food
menu icon
go to homepage
  • ABOUT US
  • RECIPES
  • CONTACT US
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • ABOUT US
    • RECIPES
    • CONTACT US
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Chinese Steamed Egg

    Published: Mar 3, 2022 · Modified: Apr 13, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe

    Growing up, we used to eat Chinese steamed egg all the time. We love the custardy, silky smooth texture. Top it with delicious stir-fried garlic and picked cabbage, and you've got yourself an amazing healthy meal. It's a traditional comfort food that can be eaten at any time of the day.

    Bowl of Chinese steamed egg topped with garlic and pickled cabbage.
    Chinese steamed egg is one of our favourite healthy comfort dish.

    The Inspiration Behind the Dish

    Steamed egg is a staple in every Chinese household. It's simple to make and cost efficient, and a dish that everyone in the family enjoys. With it's custard-like texture, it's also a children favorite and the perfect comfort food on a cold day. We grew up eating it a lot, although our family made it more the Korean way. We mastered the Chinese steamed egg and we make it every now and then, and top it garlic and pickled cabbage.

    What is Chinese Steamed Egg (蒸蛋羹)

    Also known as water egg or egg custard, steamed egg is a popular Chinese dish made primarily from egg and water. It has a smooth and velvety texture, and a very subtle taste. The punch in flavor comes from the toppings! It can be eaten for any meal of the day, and usually eaten with a fresh bowl of steamed rice. It's such a versatile and adaptable dish, it's hard to fight the urge to make it every week!

    If you want to try another steamed egg recipe, check out our Chawanmushi recipe, which is the Japanese version of the steamed egg, and check out Manchi's Gyeran Jjim for the Korean-style version.

    Close up of a spoonful of Chinese steamed egg.
    The texture is custardy-like, and should be silky smooth.

    How to perfect Chinese Steamed Egg

    Although this is quite a simple and quick recipe, there's some important tips and tricks to follow to ensure you have the smoothest and silkiest steamed egg.

    Egg to water ratio

    The perfect ratio is 1:2, meaning you want 2 times the quantity of water compared to eggs. We personally like using chicken broth to add more flavor, but feel free to use any broth or just plain water.

    Incorporating egg and water

    When mixing your egg with water, or broth of choice, we recommend using warm water. This will help reduce the amount of bubbles and make your steamed egg silky smooth.

    Strainer

    You must strain your egg mixture to avoid bubbles and to perfect the custardy texture of the dish.

    Steaming process

    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. Do not steam at high heat, as it will ruin the texture.

    There is many different ways to steam your egg mixture:

    1. Bamboo steamer. These are some of the best steamers out there. The bamboo absorbs the steam and will prevent any bubbles dripping to your steamed egg.
    2. Metal steamer. This is the type we used to make this dish. However, since metal steamer tend to drip water due to condensation, we made sure to cover our egg mixture with a saran wrap.
    3. Any pot you have on hand. You can use a small bowl to elevate your dish, or use a collapsible steamer like this one.

    For the last 2 options cases, we recommend always using a saran wrap to make sure the top of your dish are not affected by bubbles. We recommend saran wrap over aluminum foil, as you will have to lift the foil to see if it's ready.

    Side angle of Chinese steamed egg.
    We love to add garlic and pickled cabbage to our Chinese steamed egg.

    Toppings

    We love adding stir-fried garlic and pickled cabbage to our Chinese steamed egg. It reminds us of the days we used to live in Shanghai and would get Douhua, a tofu-base Chinese breakfast, every morning. These were the days!

    However, you can get very creative and add all sorts of toppings, such as century egg, salted egg, shrimp, pork, and the list goes on.

    FAQ's

    How do I know if my steamed egg is cooked?

    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.

    Why is my steamed egg not smooth?

    It might be because your egg to ratio was off, your didn't use warm water/broth to incorporate the eggs, you didn't strain your mixture or your heat was too high.

    Can this recipe be vegetarian?

    Yes! Swap the chicken broth for water or vegetable broth.

    Bowl of Chinese steamed egg topped with garlic and pickled cabbage.

    Chinese Steamed Egg

    Healthy and quick Chinese steamed egg with silky smooth texture. Top it with garlic and pickled cabbage for the perfect healthy meal.
    3.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Keyword: egg custard, steamed egg
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 196kcal

    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

    • 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 7 inch bowl.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 357IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
    « Spicy Salmon Sushi Pizza
    Stir-Fried Chinese Green Beans with Garlic »
    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ronnie

      March 03, 2022 at 9:57 am

      5 stars
      This Chinese steamed egg looks so smooth! I'll make sure to try it with pickled cabbage, sounds yummy!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Picture of Alvin and Veronique from Couple Eats Food

    We're Véronique and Alvin, and we share a passion for food. Join us to follow our journey where we share our favorite Asian-inspired recipes, using simple cooking methods and staple ingredients. We're all about eating family-style and comfort food!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Spicy Gochujang Stir-Fried Chicken Recipe
      Spicy Gochujang Stir-Fried Chicken
    • Homemade Spicy Miso Ramen Recipe
      Easy Spicy & Creamy Miso Instant Ramen
    • Crispy Chicken Teriyaki Recipe
      Crispy Chicken Teriyaki Recipe
    • Sweet and Sour Crispy Chicken Recipe
      Sweet and Sour Crispy Chicken Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As seen in banner.

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Let's Connect

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Youtube

    Contact

    Contact

    Sign Up! for weekly recipes

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Couple Eats Food