Lars Klove for The New York Times When Eva Chang was a growing up in Shanghai, steamed egg custard with sauteed Chinese mushrooms, peas and scallions appeared on the lunch or dinner table at least twice a month. In the 1940s her family fled the chaos of China and moved to San Francisco, where she became the owner and executive chef of the Harbin Restaurant from 1967 to 1990. Today she is 90 and still cooks for her family. One recipe in particular evokes childhood memories.
This silky, quivering custard dish is found in many areas of China — in Beijing, Guangdong, Chengdu — and also in Japan, where it is known as chawan mushi. Some cooks add vegetables or seafood to the custard before steaming it. Others steam the custard and make the savory topping separately.
The trick to getting a silken custard is to add cold, or room temperature, broth to the eggs when you beat them. Never add hot broth, because it will begin to cook the eggs. When you first beat the eggs, you can do so until they are frothy. But when you add the broth, beat gently, so that the eggs do not foam. You want a smooth surface, before you add the eggs into the steamer.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 4 large eggs
- freshly ground white pepper or black pepper
- 1 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 5 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until softened, squeezed dry, stems trimmed and discarded, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1/4 cup garlic chives, ends trimmed, cut in 1-inch lengths
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Method
- 1. Bring several inches of water to boil in the bottom of a large steamer. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the vegetable broth with the cornstarch; mix well.
- 2. Place the eggs in a shallow 1 1/2 to 2 quart baking dish, and beat until foamy. Add the remaining vegetable broth, a dash of white or black pepper, and one teaspoon oil. Beat again gently until well-blended. Allow any foam to subside until the surface is completely smooth.
- 3. Place the dish in the steamer, cover, and lower heat to medium. Steam until a knife inserted into the eggs comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a wok over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and heat until shimmering. Add scallions, and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, peas, garlic chives, sugar and soy sauce. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute.
- 4. When the eggs are ready, pour the mushroom mixture over the eggs. If desired, serve over rice.
Source: Adapted from Eva Chang and the Harbin Restaurant, published in "Chinese Home Cooking" by Elaine Louie and Julia Chang Bloch for the Organization of Chinese American Women (1985).