Egg Foo Young Recipe - Better than Takeout! (2024)

FAQs

Why is egg foo young so good? ›

Egg foo young is more than just an omelet

Well, it's basically a pancake, fried fritter, and omelet all in one. The secret to good egg foo young is how well the ingredients are mixed. Done right, it becomes fluffy and delicious.

Egg Foo Young is one of the healthiest Chinese takeout meals if made at home! While restaurants tend to cook the omelettes in a LOT of oil, when made at home it's a low fat, high protein, low carb dinner option.

Chicken, beef and shrimp pan-fried with bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots and eggs in a special brown sauce.

Egg foo young can be served plain, but it's traditionally dressed with a thick, soy-sauce-based gravy. The gravy can be made with a variety of ingredients like chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and a bit of sugar.

Egg Foo Yung is a Chinese egg omelet. The name is Cantonese and means "hibiscus egg." Egg Foo Yung (also spelled Egg Foo Young and Egg Fu Yung) is made with beaten eggs and most often ham, but—as with the omelet we are all familiar with—a variety of meats and seafood as well as vegetables can also be added.

When it comes to eating Egg Foo Young, one typically finds it cut into portions, covered in a smooth, flavorful sauce that's either soy or oyster sauce-based. The sauce elevates the dish, enhancing the flavors of the omelette's constituents.

You can keep the leftover egg foo young pancakes in the fridge for up to four days or freeze them for up to four months. I reheat them by popping them in a toaster oven or an air fryer set at 375°F for 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through.

The egg foo young origin story is said to go back to the southern Chinese coastal province of Guangdong, formerly known as Canton. The dish can now be found as a Cantonese hybrid not only in this country, but across Asia too.

What's the difference between Foo Yung and omelette? ›

The most important difference between a regular egg omelette and authentic egg foo yung is the filling. There are countless variations you can embrace with the basic egg foo yung recipe, but the ingredients list will usually include an assortment of vegetables like onions, bean sprouts and mushrooms.

Egg foo foung (or sometimes spelled egg foo yung) is a popular dish found in Chinese restaurants in the US. It is a fluffy savory omelette filled with vegetables and meat such as chicken, beef, bbq pork, seafood or tofu. It is then smothered in rich brown gravy. It is usually eaten with a side of rice.

The secrets of China's 'secret sauce'

"This is just one small element to the dish, but it is crucial to the overall taste," says Peter. The sauce is called Lu (pronounced "loo"), and virtually every Chinese regional cuisine uses some variation of it.

Sweet Soy Sauce (Chinese Mother Sauce #3)

Broth: Many versions of this dish use beef broth, but you can also find it made with chicken or vegetable broth. Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is one of the main ingredients that you'll find in nearly every version of Chinese brown sauce.

In Chinese culture the egg is very significant, valued for centuries as a food supplement—especially for children, pregnant women, and those who are ill.

Chefs cook with high-quality woks and powerful heat

Chinese restaurants have high-quality woks and commercial-grade burners that allow them to cook at high heat. This helps create the Maillard reaction — a chemical reaction that browns the food and unlocks new levels of flavor and aroma.

Egg foo yung, with meat and sauce (1 cup) contains 6.5g total carbs, 5.8g net carbs, 26.2g fat, 17.6g protein, and 334 calories.