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This delicate, silky Chinese Steamed Egg recipe features a hearty minced pork topping and is full of delicious flavor. Bringing a popular, restaurant-quality dish right into your home kitchen!
What are Chinese Steamed Eggs?
Chinese Steamed Egg is a delicate and silky egg dish that is strained through a sieve and steamed. It is a popular dish in Japanese and Korean cultures as well.
A popular comfort food in Chinese cuisine, these eggs are often served as a side dish or a main dish. The custardy egg texture is achieved by gently steaming a mixture of beaten eggs and water or chicken broth until they are softly set.
The eggs are commonly served with minced pork, chicken, beef, or shrimp and garnished with green onions, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sauteed mushrooms, or hot chili oil for a spicy kick.
What Makes This Recipe Great
I first had Chinese Steamed Egg at an authentic Sichuan noodle restaurant near me, and I fell in love with how delicious and silky the texture was. Velvety eggs were topped with a flavorful ground pork sauce, and even my toddler couldn’t stop eating it.
Since then, I’ve been able to recreate it at home, and I’m so excited that it’s as comforting and wonderful as the restaurant version. Protein-packed, full of flavor, easy to make, and more budget-friendly than visiting my local Chinese restaurant as often as I’d like to eat them!
While there are many variations, I personally love the heartiness of the pork laid on top of the custard-like eggs. You can use ground beef or chicken if you prefer. This really is the perfect egg!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Pork Topping
- Ground pork: Alternatively, you can use ground beef or chicken if preferred.
- Oyster sauce: I like this gluten-free version.
- Soy sauce: Use Tamari sauce for gluten-free. If you’re sodium sensitive, swap this for light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce.
- Sesame oil
- Sugar
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Avocado oil: Or your favorite neutral cooking oil.
- Garlic cloves
- Water
- Arrowroot starch: If you don’t have this on hand, feel free to substitute cornstarch.
- Green onion
Steamed Eggs
- Large eggs
- Water
- Sea salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place pork in a large bowl, and add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Stir together and set aside to marinate while you prepare the eggs.
- Combine all ingredients for the steamed eggs in a bowl and whisk together well until smooth.
- Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-safe shallow bowl that can fit inside a large pot. Spoon out any bubbles that form on the top. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and pierce a few holes to allow the steam to escape.
- Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot, then place a steamer rack (like this one) inside. Place the bowl on the basket, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Cover with the lid, bring the heat down to medium, and steam for 10-11 minutes while you cook the pork.
- Heat avocado oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the marinated pork and stir cooking until the meat is no longer brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic to the pan and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Whisk together water and arrowroot starch and pour into the skillet. Cook until the sauce is thickened – about 1-2 minutes. You can taste to adjust the seasoning at this point.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in green onions.
- Once the eggs are cooked, remove from the steamer.
- Top with the pork mixture, garnish with more green onions, and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- To make the perfect Chinese steamed egg custard, make sure to use a shallow bowl to steam the eggs in. Deeper bowls will keep the eggs from cooking evenly.
- I used a steamer rack like this one and placed the bowl of eggs on top of it while steaming.
- One thing to note is the water-to-egg ratio is important in making Chinese steamed egg because it really impacts the texture of the eggs. Measuring the water ensures a creamy, custard-like consistency, preventing the eggs from becoming dry or rubbery. The ratio of water to eggs is typically 1:1, though it can vary based on personal preference. Keep in mind that if you use a different liquid (broth) instead of water, the flavor of the eggs will vary.
Serving Tips
- Serve this egg dish as a side, accompanying other delicious dishes like stir-fried veggies, braised meat, fried rice, noodles, and more! Or enjoy it on its own- you can’t go wrong!
Storage Tips
- Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or you can steam it again for 3-4 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Both Chinese and Korean steamed eggs are beloved comfort foods. Some main differences between the two dishes are taste and texture. Chinese steamed eggs are silky and smooth, while Korean steamed eggs have a slightly firmer and spongier texture. The flavor profiles differ a bit too. In the Korean version, there is more of a clean, pure egg taste with a hint of saltiness. The Chinese version is more savory with umami flavor.
The taste can vary depending on the ingredients used, but this version has a savory, umami flavor with aromatic flavor from the green onions, sesame oil, and oyster sauce. Plus, the hearty minced pork topping adds even more flavor!
Eggs are a great source of protein and many other nutrients. One serving of this dish has 16 grams of protein, 4 carbohydrates, and 21 grams of fat. A low-carb, high-protein dish that should be consumed in moderation due to the fat content.
More Delicious Asian-Inspired Recipes
Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
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Chinese Steamed Egg Recipe with Pork Topping
Video
Ingredients
Pork Topping
- 8 oz ground pork, or beef or chicken
- 2 tsp oyster sauce, this one is gluten free
- 2 tsp soy sauce, or tamari sauce for gluten free
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp arrowroot starch, or cornstarch
- 2 green onion, chopped, plus more for garnish
Steamed Eggs
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cup water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place pork in a large bowl, and add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Stir together and set aside to marinate while you prepare the eggs.
- Combine all ingredients for the steamed eggs in a bowl, and whisk together well until smooth.
- Strain the egg mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-safe shallow bowl that can fit inside a large pot. Spoon out any bubbles that form on the top. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and pierce a few holes to allow the steam to escape.
- Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot then place a steamer rack (like this one) inside. Place the bowl on the basket, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Cover, bring the heat down to medium, and steam for 10-11 minutes while you cook the pork.
- Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the marinated pork and stir cooking until the meat is no longer brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Whisk together water and arrowroot starch and pour into the skillet. Cook until the sauce is thickened – about 1-2 minutes. You can taste to adjust seasoning at this point.
- Turn off heat, and stir in green onions.
- Once the eggs are cooked, remove from the steamer.
- Top with the pork mixture, sprinkle more green onions, and serve warm.
Notes
Expert Tips
- To make the perfect Chinese steamed egg custard, make sure to use a shallow bowl to steam the eggs in. Deeper bowls will keep the eggs from cooking evenly.
- I used a steamer rack like this one and placed the bowl of eggs on top of it while steaming.
- One thing to note is the water-to-egg ratio is important in making Chinese steamed egg because it really impacts the texture of the eggs. Measuring the water ensures a creamy, custard-like consistency, preventing the eggs from becoming dry or rubbery. The ratio of water to eggs is typically 1:1, though it can vary based on personal preference. Keep in mind that if you use a different liquid (broth) instead of water, the flavor of the eggs will vary.
Serving Tips
- Serve this egg dish as a side, accompanying other delicious dishes like stir-fried veggies, braised meat, fried rice, noodles, and more! Or enjoy it on its own- you can’t go wrong!
Storage Tips
- Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or you can steam it again for 3-4 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe is fantastic.
FYI – The oyster sauce you recommend has caramel coloring in it. Really bad stuff!
I think it’s okay in moderation and I try to not demonize any type of food. This was what I was able to find for those who want to enjoy authentic flavors but are gluten free. I use the Sprouts brand one and that doesn’t have caramel coloring in it if you want to check that one out instead.