These Chinese steamed eggs are the perfect example of how just a few simple ingredients, put together the right way, can deliver so much flavor and deliciousness.
Top your bowl with a drizzle of some ginger scallion oil or some garlic chili crisp if you're craving for something spicy.
My French-baked eggs were a HUGE hit, and inspired by their custardy, savory deliciousness, I decided to give these steamed eggs a try.
They're have that same luxurious texture, and a deep umami depth that makes them absolutely irresistible. Pair a bowl of these steamed eggs with your honey Sriracha shrimp rice bowl to make it a filling and comforting meal.
Quick Look: Chinese Steamed Eggs
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 12–15 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Eggs, water or stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Whisk → strain → steam → garnish and serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Serve with steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, baked Teriyaki tofu, grilled chicken, or enjoy as a light breakfast or comforting meal.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The recipe is simple, effortless, and an absolute classic you need to try your hands at.
- Just like with soy cured egg yolks, don’t need to put in a lot of kitchen time and effort or use sophisticated ingredients to make these steamed eggs.
- They're super versatile! You can pair them with some steamed Jasmine rice, stir fried greens or a braised meat.
Recipe Ingredients
Eggs: They're literally the foundation of the dish. Choose large, free-range eggs.
Soy sauce: Get your hands on the best quality soy sauce you can find- it really makes a difference. You can use dark soy sauce- like I did when I made Korean green onion salad.
Sesame oil: For that authentic Asian flavor.
Chives: For that pop of color and a bit of flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- To make the steamed eggs more flavorful, you can also add a pinch of chicken bouillon powder into it while you’re whisking it. I like to add my homemade vegetable bouillon cube whenever I have it at hand.
- Another great idea is to skip the chicken bouillon powder and use chicken stock instead of water when whisking the eggs.
- If you don't have sesame oil, feel free to use extra virgin olive oil instead.
- If you want to balance out the umami flavors of the Chinese-style steamed eggs, you can also add some brown sugar into the mix.
- Chopped bird-eye chilies can also be an excellent addition to the steamed eggs. I like to drizzle some of my hot pepper vinegar sometimes!
- Fish sauce is another splendid ingredient you can consider adding to the mixture, which you will eventually spoon over the eggs.
How to Make the Chinese Steamed Eggs
Step 1: Beat the eggs in warm water with a whisk until you get a frothy mixture.
Step 2: Strain this using a strainer and remove the foam on the top.
Step 3: Transfer into ramekins or oven safe bowls and cover it with aluminum foil.
Step 4: Steam for 10-12 minutes on gentle heat.
Step 5: Top with sesame oil, chopped chives, and some soy sauce.
💭Top Tip
Don't have chives? Use fresh, chopped cilantro or scallions or any other herb of your choice instead. The idea is to lend the steamed eggs a nice pop of color and a touch of freshness.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Make sure you follow the 1:2 ratio for eggs and water. Too little water will cause the steamed eggs to turn out thick and hard, and too much water will not let the eggs set.
- Use a basket steamer to steam the eggs. The gaps in the basket will allow the steam to escape, instead of condensing inside and dripping into the egg.
- If you don’t have a basket steamer, you can use a regular steamer and just place a chopstick horizontally on the steamer pot before topping it with the lid. This will let out the steam, and you’ll get the perfect silky textured eggs.
- To make sure there are no lumps in the eggs, you can also choose to run the mixture through a strainer. This process will also remove any bubbles from the surface.
- You can also top the egg bowls with some garlic browned in sesame oil, or some crunchy and crispy Air Fryer shallots for a bit of texture.
- You can also experiment with other toppings like spicy stir fried edamame, a drizzle of chili crunch oil or a pinch of homemade Gomasio sprinkled on the top.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Enjoy these Chinese steamed eggs the classic way or try topping them with other condiments and seasonings of your choice. I'm personally obsessed with using my dried shrimp sambal as a topping over these custardy eggs! You can just top them as is, or cut through the eggs with a knife, making some patterns, and then drizzle the sauce over the top to help all the deliciousness seep in.
These steamed eggs taste wickedly delicious when paired with some steamed rice or noodles. To bring in an additional fun element, you can also whip up some quick teriyaki veggie stir fry or honey Sriracha Brussels sprouts to go with the eggs.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
To make sure the egg custard is soft and silky smooth, use lukewarm water instead of regular, room-temperature water.
To check if the eggs are done cooking, just place a lightweight spoon on top of the surface. If the spoon doesn’t sink in, the eggs are done.
Temperature is key when it comes to steaming the eggs. Make sure the heat is medium-low while you’re steaming the eggs, especially if you’re doing this over the stovetop.
If you have any leftovers, you can cover them up with cling wrap to keep away any condensation from the surface. These steamed eggs can then be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Other Egg Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Chinese Steamed Eggs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chinese Steamed Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- warm water double the volume of eggs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon chives chopped
Instructions
- Beat the eggs with warm water with a whisk until you get a frothy mixture.
- Strain this using a strainer and remove the foam on the top.
- Transfer into ramekins or oven safe bowls and cover it with aluminum foil.
- Steam for 10-12 minutes on gentle heat.
- Top with the olive oil, chives and soy sauce.
Notes
- Make sure you follow the 1:2 ratio for the egg and water. This will help you nail the texture of the eggs.
- Use a strainer to make sure there are no lumps in the egg mixture.
- Top the eggs with your favorite condiments, seasonings and sauces to enjoy different variations of the recipe.
