Chinese Steamed Eggs – A tasty ‘mouthfeel’ dish

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How are you all surviving with the deluge of rain that we are having in the UK? It’s relentless isn’t it. It’s no wonder that us Brits are renown for talking about the weather non-stop, as it is so pertinent to our very existence. At least I have opted for a relaxation/pastime that does not depend on the weather – swimming outside – rain or shine you are always going to get wet. Followed by a sauna, and you can guarantee that your day will always seem brighter.

In a bid to be more consistent on here I wanted to kick off the weekend by sharing a super quick and tasty breakfast or lunch recipe for Chinese steamed eggs, which has a wonderful ‘mouthfeel’ to it. Fuchsia Dunlop talks about ‘mouthfeel’ in her excellent book ‘Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet -Sour Memoir of Eating in China‘ – I highly recommend this book if you have not read it. In Chinese cuisine they have a specific word for mouthfeel – ‘kougan’ and this is often considered equal or as important to flavour. The mouthfeel for this dish comes in the form of a smooth and silky sensation – a term known as ‘hua’. The other sensations in the Chinese vocabulary are ‘cui’ – for anything that is crunchy or crispy, ‘Q’ for anything that is chewy, bouncy or rubbery in texture – noodles being a great example and ‘nuo’ for soft and gelatinous dishes – particularly braised dishes.

It takes around 15 minutes to make (including preparation) but there are a few important steps to remember.

1. After whisking the eggs it is important to strain them – this makes sure that the steamed eggs will be completely smooth.

2. The water that you add to the strain eggs need to be the same amount in weight to the eggs. It needs to be warm so I suggest half the amount is boiling water and the other half is cold. I like to add 1/4 cube of chicken or vegetable stock to the water. Give a good stir to allow the stock cube to dissolve, then strain into the whisked eggs.

3. Cover the bowl with the egg mixture with some clingfilm with a few little holes in top – this is to prevent in water from the steam dripping into the bowl. (See the photo below which shows the bowl with steamed eggs that had clingfilm in the front of the photo and one without in the back. Without will make the eggs uneven on the surface.

4. Use a sharp knife to make incisions evenly across the top of the steamed eggs, then turn the bowl and make more incisions so that you have a lattice effect.

So below is the recipe in detail.

Chinese Steamed Eggs

Serves 1

2 eggs, whisked

warm water (weight of the eggs + half again 1:1.5 ratio)to get the right temp water mix half boiled water/cold water

1/4 cube of chicken or vegetable stock

1 small spring onion, green part only, finely sliced OR 1-2 chives, finely sliced

1 tsp light or dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

small pinch of white pepper, optional

  1. Place a bowl on a weighing scales and weight the eggs. Make a note of the weight.
  2. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and leave to one side.
  3. Using a separate bowl or measuring jug add the half boiling/half cold so that it is warm and add 1/4 chicken/vegetable stock cube (you don’t want it to be too salty). You are looking for a ratio of 1.5x the weight of the eggs (example: 100ml eggs add 150ml of warm water). Stir well and then add to the bowl with the whisked eggs.
  4. Sieve the eggs and stock and place into your serving bowl. Remove any bubbles that have come to the surface.
  5. Add boiling water to the bottom of your steamer. If you don’t have one simply use a pan that is wider than your bowl. Place a cookie cutter or trivet on the bottom of the pan and cover with boiling water so that the water is up to the cutter/trivet. Bring to a rolling boil.
  6. Cover the serving bowl with cling film and prick it a couple of times with a sharp knife. Gently place in the pan and cover with a lid with a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape.
  7. Turn the heat down to medium/low and allow to steam the eggs for 9 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to sit for a further 3 minutes.
  8. You will be able to see that the eggs are nicely steamed and will jiggle a little if you give the pan a little tap. (see the jiggle below)
  9. Be careful removing from the steamer. Remove the clingfilm and then use a sharp knife to make a series of straight incisions along the top and then turn by 90 degrees and make more incisions so that you have a diamond lattice effect.
  10. Spoon the soy sauce and sesame oil on top, followed by a pinch of white pepper and spring onions or chives and dive in and enjoy the ‘kougan’ and comforting taste. I love it and hope you will too.

Please note:I don’t add any salt to the eggs to begin with as I find the chicken/veg stock and soy sauce adds enough salt to the dish.

Have a great weekend everyone. Wrap up warm and stay dry.

Torie

My Go-To Breakfast Choice…..at the moment

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I definitely gravitate towards a savoury breakfast pre or post my cold water swim and sauna. As a side note, I am so pleased that the sauna revolution is growing from strength to strength the length and breadth of the UK. It is so good for you and with a cold water plunge or swim is a mood uplifter. Even in the dreary rainy days it is transformational. Trust me – give it go.

Anyway back to savoury breakfasts…..It was only during my first pregnancy that I gave pain au chocolate a look in and really craved them most days. Typically though give me masala dosa, dim appam/egg hopper with chutneys or perhaps idli and sambar, Vietnamese pho or eggs in any form with some miso sesame toast (yes that is a thing from the wonderful August Bakery) with marmite on the side.

At the moment, however I am gravitating towards an oat congee type affair. Congee, for the uninitiated, is a popular Asian rice porridge which is broken down to become a smooth-ish, thick-ish, comforting soup. Typically the rice is cooked slowly over an hour or two (1:8 or 1:10 rice/water ratio) when the grains break down and burst and the dish becomes creamy and soft. You can make it with white or brown rice, the latter naturally offering a fibre packed meal. It has all manner of toppings – sometimes chicken, pork or fish is added. In Japan it is known as ‘kayu’, in Korea as ‘jus’, in Myanmar ‘hsan pyoke’, in Indonesia ‘bubur’, Thailand ‘jok’ and in the Philippines it is known as ‘lugaw’.

With the dark winter days, coupled with rains and general gloom we are having in the UK, my version of congee will definitely lift the spirits and put a spring in your step. It uses porridge oats instead of rice and uses no oil or butter and literally takes 7-8 minutes to make – the time it takes to boil an egg.

My favourite sprinkle condiment at the moment is known as ‘Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake’ and I love to sprinkle this over the finished dish. I first had it in Japan when I visited in 2023 and 2024 and I am completely hooked, regularly asking friends to bring it back with them when they visit Japan. I have found it online here in the UK – not cheap, but use it sparingly and you won’t be disappointed. It is crunchy with sesame seeds, chilli, garlic and fried Kujo leeks.

So to the recipe itself. I would love to hear what breakfasts/brunches are getting you through these winter months. Comment below and let me know.

Oat Congee with Fresh Turmeric, Black Pepper, Ginger and Garlic

a couple of handfuls of porridge oats (as much as you want to eat)

1/2 tsp fresh or ground turmeric, skin removed

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp heaped fresh ginger, finely grated

1 tsp garlic, finely grated

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1 tbsp soy sauce, dark or light

water to cover

3 spring onions, cut in half and sliced lengthways

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, finely chopped

a sprinkling of Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake or chilli oil or seasoning of your choice

 

  1. Bring water to the boil in a small saucepan and then gently lower your egg into the water. If you want it soft boiled aim for 6-7 minutes.
  2. In a medium sized pan add the oats – I have purposely not given a precise amount – just use as much as you would use to make porridge. A couple of handfuls should be sufficient.
  3. Finely grate the fresh turmeric (ground turmeric is fine too), ginger and garlic and add these to the oats along with the freshly ground black pepper and salt.
  4. Cover with boiling water so that it is just above the oats and stir well. Add a little soy sauce to taste. Add a little more water to loosen as required. It should only take a few minutes. Turn off the heat when it has softened.
  5. Meanwhile heat a small frying pan and add the spring onions and allow to wilt and lightly char then remove from the heat and keep to one side.
  6. After 7 minutes drain the egg and rinse under cold water. Gently use a teaspoon to break the shell from the egg and remove.
  7. Now to plate up. In a bowl add the porridge/congee and then add the charred and wilted spring onions, freshly chopped coriander (leaves and stalks), gently cut the egg lengthways and lay on top of the porridge/congee. Add a splash more soy sauce if required. Finally sprinkle some Kyoto Kyo-Ra-Yu Furikake or your favourite condiment on top.
  8. Devour and enjoy.

Additions: Instead of spring onions you could add tender stem broccoli, sugar snaps, green beans, mange tout – simply add them in the boiling water with the egg for a minute then slice lengthways (for the tender stem). Sometimes I like to add wilted spinach which I place in a small pan with a splash (literally) of water to help wilt.

PS: It is important to add black pepper with the turmeric, as the piperine compound in the black pepper helps with the absorption of curcumin in the turmeric by 2000%, which boosts its anti-inflammatory effects.

Let me know how you get on. I hope you will love it as much as I do.

Best

Torie

Culinary delights and inspiration over the Christmas period

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So my fridge – my relatively new fridge in fact (still under guarantee phew) – decides to die a dramatic death on 22nd December. Great timing. I mean it could have died in November or in the summer but no it decides to die just as I want to start cracking on with preparations for Christmas.

I will not let my fridge dampen my spirits however. On the bright side I have a freezer and a cold coal cellar so I am going to rise to the occasion and go back in time when freezers did not exist. I now have all the contents of my fridge in storage boxes with ice bags surrounding them. Some jars are in the garden in boxes in the rabbit hutch. Our rabbits passed away recently…..that’s another story….so there is room in the hutch away from prying urban foxes.

So I thought you might need some last minute inspiration of things to cook with turkey leftovers, meals after christmas and before new year and canapés etc. So first up is turkey, ham and leek pie. Very straightforward and a great way to use up the turkey and ham.

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On boxing day or 27th I will be cooking my crispy skin cod with white beans, padron peppers, spinach, dill and aioli. You can use monkfish or hake instead, whichever you decide it’s a lovely dish to serve after the filling fare of Christmas day.

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This wintery warm lentil and goats cheese salad with a fresh basil dressing will also be making an appearance. Slow cooked tomatoes are a favourite in my household and we are all rather fond of goats cheese. I also like the fact that is vegetarian, filling and incredibly tasty.

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Perhaps you have friends or family coming over for a glass of bubbles or mulled wine. Both these canapés are very straightforward and don’t take too much time to prepare. The pastry for the parmesan caraway biscuits can be made in advance and kept in the fridge. When you are ready to cook them you simply slice them thinly, lay them out on a tray and place them in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until they are lightly bronzed. Let them cool slightly and then they are ready to be devoured.

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The rosemary spiced walnuts are wonderful to snack on and are not too filling before the main event. We love them and I am sure you will too.

Whilst we are all very fortunate to have the love of family and friends around us at Christmas a great way to give a little back is reserving a place for a homeless person at one of the crisis shelters. £22.32 reserves a place for one person but also allows them to have:

 – a health check with a doctor, dentist and optician

 – shower, freshen up and clean clothes

– three nutritious meals including christmas dinner

-an introduction to Crisis’ year-round services for training and support for the future.

You can find out more and how to donate here. I think it is a wonderful charity and one that I support each year.

So that’s it from me for 2016. I wish you all a very merry christmas and a happy new year and I hope to be able to inspire you with some exciting recipes in 2017. Thank you for your continued support and readership, it means a lot to me.

Torie xx