Shrimp Egg Foo Young: My Takeout Favorite, Made at Home
Egg Foo Young is one of my favorite Chinese dishes to order out. Especially with shrimp. I just love it. I suspected it would be hard to make myself, and I wasn't too far off. It isn't terribly difficult to make, but it does take some coordination. But I had to try.
Not Many Ingredients, But Tricky Coordination
It isn't too many ingredients; I can tell you that. It's the coordination of the frying of the eggs with the shrimp, eggs, and vegetables that gets to be somewhat tricky. I don't own a wok. I've always thought a wok was another kitchen item I would rarely use and would take up space for other things I would use more often in my smallish kitchen. So I had to make do with the pans I have on hand. And I did.
The Fun of Velveting Shrimp
Where this became exciting is two-fold. This concept of velveting proteins is a cool concept. It's where you take a protein—in this case, raw shrimp—and combine it with cornstarch, egg white, salt, oil, and Shaoxing wine and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so. Then you take it out and cook it for a very brief time in preparation for the dish. This gets the shrimp super juicy and delicious, just like you have when you get it at any of the best Asian restaurants. And it's true!
Gravy Makes It Shine
The other exciting part of the preparation of this dish is the gravy that goes on top of the egg-shrimp patty. Since I was in control, I could adjust the flavors to match what I have loved in the past, or maybe, just maybe, surpass what I've had. I don't know. With this recipe, it's absolutely delicious either way.
Making the Egg-Shrimp Patty
Back to the egg-shrimp patty. I've read and watched all sorts of TikToks, YouTube videos, etc. of how best to make the egg-shrimp omelets, as I see them referred to. In the end, I just poured in the batter like any omelet—albeit, in more oil than I would use for an omelet. It will take more skill trying to flip the patty over, which I am guessing I would get better at if I were to make this dish a lot, but I managed. I guess. I think the key, to me, was to let them cook until they got set, or a little dark around the edges. Then I didn't have to worry about it being a gooey mess as I tried to flip it.
Simple and Utterly Delicious
When I order this from my favorite Asian restaurant, it comes with a bunch of stir-fried vegetables in the gravy, with the two patties cut into fours. With this recipe, it's pretty simple. Just the egg-shrimp patty, with its onions and bean sprouts to accompany it, was heaven in its most basic form. It was utterly delicious, paired with the earthy, umaminess of the gravy.
Served over rice, of course. Just plain heavenly.
Bon appétit, my friends!
Show text-only recipe (fallback)
Egg Foo Young — Ingredients
- Velveting: 1 lb shrimp; 1½ Tbsp cornstarch; 1½ Tbsp veg oil; 1 egg white; 1 Tbsp Shaoxing (or dry sherry); ½ tsp salt
- Gravy: 2 Tbsp neutral oil; 2 Tbsp AP flour; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tsp paprika; garlic + onion (minced); 3 cups chicken stock (plus 1/4 cup for slurry); 2 Tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tsp light soy; 1/2 tsp dark soy; 1/2 tsp sesame oil; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 3 Tbsp cornstarch (slurry)
- Patties: 10 oz velveted shrimp (roughly chopped); 1 medium onion (diced); 2 cups mung bean sprouts; 6 large eggs; 1/4 tsp sesame oil; 1½ tsp cornstarch; pinch salt & sugar
- Frying: 3 cups neutral oil (canola/peanut); steamed rice to serve
Instructions
- Velvet shrimp: mix marinade, coat shrimp, chill 30–60 min. Briefly simmer 1 min until just opaque; rinse cold; drain.
- Make gravy: oil + flour + spices 20–30 sec; whisk in stock, aromatics, sauces; simmer. Thicken with cornstarch slurry to coat a spoon; keep warm.
- Heat fry oil to 335–350°F.
- Batter: combine shrimp, onion, sprouts, eggs, sesame oil, cornstarch; fold just until eggs are loosely beaten.
- Fry ¾-cup scoops 2 min; flip 1–2 min to golden. Drain on rack; repeat (makes ~6 patties).
- Plate over rice; ladle gravy. Serve extra gravy on side.
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