Recipe: Egg Foo Yong*

As the weather cools off, everyone enjoys tried and true comfort foods, and now is the time to stock up on pantry staples.  There are some good grocery bargains out there this week, so start thinking about what you need on hand to throw together old family favorites everyone will enjoy that don’t involve hours in the kitchen.

One recipe that I can never make too often is “Egg Foo Yong.”  Purists of Chinese cuisine scoff at the familiar version of this dish as being a largely American invention, made popular by Chinese restaurants here in the US.  I remember first having this at an old restaurant in Logan, now long gone, called the New Grand View Café.  Our family enjoyed dinner there with my grandparents one snowy Christmas Eve, and I still remember riding home in the backseat happily seated on my Grandma’s lap—no seatbelts required back then of course. 

We all loved Egg Foo Yong so much that Mom found a recipe and started making it at home.  The instructions are simple, with only a few ingredients, and it can be whipped together in no time.  Alongside some fluffy white rice, it’s a delicious “taste of the Orient”—or at least that’s what we Americans like to imagine!

1 pound fully cooked ham, diced (it’s fine to use sliced – not shaved - deli ham of any kind)

2 regular sized cans La Choy bean sprouts, drained well

2 bunches green onions, sliced

10 to 12 eggs

(Soy sauce, cornstarch, and beef bouillon cubes for gravy)

1.     Make the gravy first and keep warm (see recipe below).  Also get the rice going, because the Egg Foo Yong will not take long to make.

2.     Lightly brown ham in a small amount of oil.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool a bit.  Beat eggs and add well drained sprouts, the ham, and most of the green onions.  Mix together.

3.     Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet. Spoon egg mixture onto hot griddle like you  would pancakes, about 4 at a time, using a spatula to keep them formed into nice patties as the egg will run somewhat. Turn when browned.  This makes about 12 patties.

Note:  I have two recipes for the gravy.  One is the traditional recipe my mom always made, and the other is a newer, slightly sweet version that we have come to prefer in the last few years.  You can try both (they are both great on the Egg Foo Yong) and see which your family likes best.

Gravy #1:  Add 4 beef bouillon cubes to 3 cups hot water in small saucepan, crushing with a fork as the water heats.  Add 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce and 1/8 teas. black pepper plus a sprinkle of salt.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a good simmer, making sure cubes are fully dissolved.  Thicken with 4 Tablespoons cornstarch that has been dissolved in ¼ cup cold water, whisking it into the simmering broth. 

Gravy #2:  Add 5 chicken bouillon cubes to 3 cups water and dissolve in a small saucepan.  Add 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, 5 teaspoons sugar, 5 teaspoons vinegar.  When it boils, stir in 4 Tablespoons cornstarch that has been dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water.  Simmer until it thickens, then keep warm until ready to serve. 

For both, Spoon gravy onto individual servings of Egg Foo Yong, or pass and let people add their own. Sprinkle the patties with remaining green onions and additional soy sauce if desired.  Serve with white rice.

Serves 6.

*Originally distributed September 2013