Egg Foo Young
Back in the day, my family used to order Egg Foo Young from our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, Chinese Village on 82nd in South East Portland. It came with brown sauce and sweet and sour sauce and I used to mix the two sauces together. I can remember the flavor like it was yesterday.
Chinese Village is no longer there after 85 years in business, a sad casualty of COVID 19. But I’ll always think of them whenever I enjoy Egg Foo Young.
However…
OMG! Who knew Egg Foo Young was so easy (and cheap!) to make? Adding bean sprouts makes it fresh, crunchy and crispy.
What a fun recipe for dinner, breakfast, or brunch and I want this sauce on everything! No joke!
I usually double the recipe because it reheats beautifully for breakfast or a quick snack. Great for Meatless Monday!
It even makes a delectable sandwich for lunch. Ever hear of a St. Paul sandwich? It’s a hot Egg Foo Young patty served between two slices of white bread, a slather of mayo, and topped with pickles, lettuce, tomato. Amazingly good!
Egg Foo Young
Serves: 4 – 6 Time: 1 hour
This makes 8 big egg foo yung patties and was a satisfying dinner for my family of four big eaters. I served ramen noodles and stir fry vegetables on the side. They’ve already asked me to make it again.
What You’ll Need:
To make the Sauce
- 1 can chicken broth (1 and 2/3 cups) – divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Here’s How:
In a small sauce pan combine 1 cup of the chicken broth with the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and bring this mixture to a boil.
Take the remaining 2/3 cup cold chicken broth and mix it with the corn starch until well blended. Add this to the boiling liquid and stir to combine until thickened. Hold on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
What You’ll Need:
Egg Foo Young
- 12 eggs, well beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
Here’s How:
Combine the well beaten eggs with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and sesame oil. Add the bean sprouts and the green onion and stir to incorporate.
Heat some of the oil in a frying pan using just enough oil to coat the pan, adding the remaining oil as needed.
Using a ½ cup measure for each, fry each patty as you would a pancake, turning once.
Diva Tip
When you pour the half cup of egg mixture into the frying pan the eggs will run all over. Don’t panic! Just use a spatula to push them together toward the center and they will form a nice patty. Have faith.
When the bottom is set, flip over to cook the other side. I like to use two spatulas for this step. Cook until lightly browned and set.
As you make these you’ll need to stir the egg mixture each time to be sure each one gets an equal share of the bean sprouts and green onion, if you don’t, the last few will be just egg. Hold the finished patties on a warmed platter as you cook the rest.
Serve topped with the Egg Foo Young Sauce. Divalicious!
Diva Tip
You can add more protein to Egg Foo Young if you wish. Pork sausages, barbecued pork, ham, shrimp, chicken or tofu are all great choices. Just make sure any meat is completely cooked first and thinly sliced or minced. Add the meat into the eggs and bean sprout mixture and follow the instructions as written.
You can also add cooked rice into the egg mixture to stretch your budget.
EGG FOO YOUNG WITH BROWN SAUCE
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 14.5 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth, divided or 1⅔ cups homemade
- 1½ tablespoons cider vinegar or substitute white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic minced
- ¼ cup cornstarch
For Egg Foo Young
- 12 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- ½ cup green onions thinly sliced
- Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying
Instructions
To make the sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the chicken broth with vinegar, soy sauce and sugar and bring this mixture to a boil.
- Take the remaining 2/3 cup cold chicken broth and mix it with the cornstarch until well blended.
- Add this to the boiling liquid and stir to combine until thickened. Hold on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
To make Egg Foo Young
- Combine the eggs with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and sesame oil. Whisk until well beaten.
- Add the bean sprouts and the green onion and stir to incorporate.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan, using just enough oil to coat the pan, adding the more oil as needed.
- Using a ½ cup measure for each, fry each patty as you would a pancake, turning once.
- When you pour your egg mixture into the frying pan the eggs will run all over. Don’t panic! Just use a spatula to push them together toward the center and they will form a nice patty. Have faith in the foo.
- When the bottom is set, flip over to cook the other side. I like to use two spatulas for this step. Cook until lightly browned and set.
- As you make these, you’ll need to stir the egg mixture each time to be sure each one gets an equal share of the bean sprouts and green onion, if you don’t, the last few will be just egg. No foo. No young.
- Hold the finished patties on a warmed platter as you cook the rest.
- Serve topped with the Egg Foo Young Sauce. Divalicious!
Notes
You might also like – Tuna and Mushroom Tetrazzini, Secrets of Frugal Grocery Shoppers, Grilled Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Pineapple Rice
In the sauce, when do you add the ginger and garlic?
Oh My Goodness, Heather, thank you for pointing that out! I left it out of the instructions! I apologize for any confusion. You add the ginger and garlic when you add the first round of ingredients before you bring the sauce to a boil, right after you add the sugar. I hope you enjoy this recipe, I haven’t made it in a while and you’ve reminded me how good it is. Thank you!