Where can I order Chinese steamed egg dish?
Over in the Home Cooking board, they're making me salivate at a very simple savory steamed egg dish. I remember it vaguely when I was a wee lad, either made by my mom or family friend, or at a restaurant, but have never seen it on a menu in the U.S. Or maybe I never paid enough attention. Before I try to make it myself, I want to try others' versions. So where, preferably in the South Bay or mid-to-lower Peninsula, can I order this dish?
Or what type of restaurant would I most likely find it in (Cantonese, dim sum, Shanghainese, or what)?
And in case they have no idea what I mean when I ask for steamed egg, what is the Chinese name of this dish (and how do you pronounce it)?
Alice Patis
Sep 22, 2005 07:23PM
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Oh there are several variations of this dish.
The Japanese version of this steamed egg custard is commonly referred to as chawanmushi. Places like Sushi Sam's in San Mateo and Takara in SF Japantown serve this. I'd like to say that Kitsho in Cupterino might serve this too, but probably best to call ahead. Usually there's a piece fish cake, sometimes chicken, cooked shrimp with the tail, mushroom, spinach in it, though there could be variations.
There is a northern Chinese dish (Shanghainese? Su-Kang?) that is mainly egg, but has the word "crab" in it (interestingly, contains no crab). In Cantonese it is called "choy pong hai". They say this dish was whipped up to please the Qing Dynasty Empress, who perhaps wasn't too fond of eating crab off the shell or didn't like the crustacean period. Some Cantonese restaurants I believe can make this, but I can't remember any off hand at the moment.
R&G Lounge in SF Chinatown has a steamed egg dish on their menu or specials menu. I can't recall what else was it in exactly, but it was very very good.
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I had a version of this at Shanghai 1930 that did contain quite a bit of dried crab. It was expensive, but it tasted like they used very high quality crab, and there might have been a touch of caviar on top for a western luxury touch.
My boyfriend's Shanghainese mother was very pleased with it, and I'm pretty sure she expected there to be crab in it. Perhaps class differences back in the day account for some recipes using expensive dried seafood and some recipes just having a bit of oyster sauce poured on the surface.
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I have gotten it at Cantonese places but you have to be careful it that it is very easy to overcooked.
I have this dish which is harder to be over cooked. Ask them to make a steamed egg dish steamed with live clams in the shell. The clam releases with the cooking process and will keep it more moist.
I will post the recipe later after I make it again. I think we had at Parc Hong Kong in Sunnyvale and Gourmet something (got not remember the complete name)on Pine and Gough.
This is really a easy and quick dish to make at home. My personnal favorite in steamed four eggs, chicken, salted duck yolk (not the white because the dish will be too salty, cut up perserved duck egg and finally dried shrimp roe.
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Chicken and shrimp roe sound like good additions.
I've only tried this dish at Bay Fung Tong in Oakland, but heard their rendition was "good, but not great".
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"I think we had at Parc Hong Kong in Sunnyvale and Gourmet something (got not remember the complete name)on Pine and Gough."
Could it be Gourmet Carousel?
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That is it. Sorry only know how to get to it and many times the Chinese name but the English name escapes me. Thanks
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The Gourmet Carousel is well known a long-time value Chinese Restaurant outside of Chinatown on Franklin at the corner of Pine Street (1559 Franklin). Its name and location belies that it is indeed a Chinese family restaurant.
Plaim Steam eggs is relatively simple but does require the right consistency and length of time for steaming so that it comes out just moist and velvety smmoth and not overdone. When adding other tasty tidbits such as clams, shrimp, scallops, etc., etc., I add the them gradually and throughout the steaming process so that the tidbits come out in suspension rather settling only to the bottom.
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Here's more about Gourmet Carousel. What dishes do you like there?
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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We have not been to Gourmet Carousel recently, so I cannot say what specific dishes are good there that is of current relevance. There was however one particular event during a wedding banquet dinner in the past, that we remembered because it was so unique. One dish toward the end of the banquet dinner was highlighted by the serving of an individual squab (not quail) per person! I have called it as a value restaurant they give good value for the money - lots of good food and it is cheap! It is a very popular place for Chinese family banquets.
A couple of years ago, there was a small hole-in-the-war enterprise in the South Bay in Mountain View in the San Antonio Shopping Center, not coincidentally also called the Gourmet Carousel. It was located in a small niche on the other side on the Milk Pail European market within the shopping center. It was a fast food operation selling Chinese meals - a heaping 2-3 hot food items with rice or chow mein for 3-5 dollars. Signs posted said that it was related to the Gourmet Carousel in SF. Alas, it was good, but it eventually went out of business.
Finally, I want to let you know that I read your earlier posting on the Gourmet Carousel with much interest some time ago and thought about it quite a bit in particular, about your Uncle James telling of the origin of Yee Fu noodles. The Chinese character fu signify house of or family. My wife was a Yee. I also knew a lot of other Yees that I grew up with in SF Chinatown. The written character of my wifes family and that of the other Yees that I grew up with in SF are identically the same character. The written character shown written in yee fu noodles or yee fu won ton in Chinese restaurant menus is a different character. If the first character is used as a name, and it can certainly be, then the Yee family noodle interpretation merely pertains to a different family than that of my wifes.
Take the Yee character as written on menus. It literally means, depending on context, Iran, Iraq, and/or Islamic. There therefore can be a meaningful combination of these characters to indicate noodles of Islamic origin.
Do we have a double entendre here or what do we have?
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That's a very good observation and good question. I don't know, maybe the link below sheds some light on it.
Link: http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phor...
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There apparently are multiple houses of Yees! Live and learn!
http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dict...
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I don't know if it was steamed, but we had a delicious egg dish with oysters at Great Eastern not too long ago. It was on the Chef's Specials menu, I think. It might have been listed as an omelette. Best thing we ordered that night (and the other stuff was good).
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We had it last week with dried scallop at Gold Mountain. It's on the specials menu (in English!). I've also had the version with clams in the shell there and that was done perfectly also.
It's not a dish that I've seen much at restaurants. Earlier this year we tried it at China First on Clement. The first time it was perfect, the second time it was a little spongey on the bottom.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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Coincidentally, just today I saw "steamed egg with dried shrimp" on the hand-written 3-for-$15 menu at a place in Alameda called Hong Kong City Seafood Restaurant, 1425 Park St.
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This thread impelled me to actually try the "Chef's special recommendation 3-for-$15 menu" at Hong Kong City Seafood Restaurant, and I was pretty pleased with the results.
There are 22 items on the menu, covering the gamut of ingredients and preparations. I wasn't feeling terribly adventurous, so I ordered some of the more tame items on the menu: steamed spare ribs w/pumpkin, salt and pepper chicken wings, and beef with mustard greens. It was a good sign when I noticed the top of the container with the chicken wings had vents for the steam punched into it to keep them from getting soggy on the quick trip home: someone cared about the quality of the product.
The wings were topped with a few chopped scallions, garlic and jalapeno slices. Although I prefer the harder, crunchier style of batter, the tempura-style batter was crisp and not greasy and the meat was juicy. An order was 10 wings.
The spare ribs were bony and not very meaty, but I liked the sauce (a light black bean sauce), especially when I mashed the pumpkin and sauce into the rice (an advantage to eating at home and not using chopsticks). Overall, I'd order it again, but more for the pumpkin than for the ribs.
That was plenty for dinner, so I didn't open the beef and mustard greens until the next day. At this price point, I was surprised at how generous a portion it was, especially the amount of meat. I suspect the greens would have been a little soft for some tastes, but I'm not a stickler for al dente veggies, so they were fine by me. The meat was very tender (tenderized?) and not overcooked; the sauce was light and let all the flavors come through. A winner in my book.
The price/value/convenience ratio mean this restaurant will go into my rotation, and next crab season I'll definitely check out their crab specials.
Hong Kong City Seafood Restaurant
1425 Park St., Alameda
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you can make it easy(like mom did:)
for every egg you use,double the stock
(2egg=4egg's liquid)
after you add seasoning and 2 drops of oil,stain and steam covered on low heat for 8-10 minutes
yummmmmmmmmm
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My mom also would put oyster sauce on top. Yum.
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Where are you located...I have had it in a number of places, and it would help people to pinpoint a close place for you....
It is often called Steamed Eggs Three Ways....(regular chicken egg, preserved egg, duck egg).. it is a wonderful dish...one of my favorites..very soothing....I am a custard lover...hence my fixation of Dahn Taht (egg custard tarts) at Golden Gate Bakery.
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Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I don't think I'll make it up to SF soon, but I've recorded all the SF suggestions. The Gold Mtn version sounds like it'd be worth the drive just for it (and I don't know why I wasn't picturing this dish when I read Melanie's report of it).
For starters I'll look for it at Sunnyvale Parc Hong Kong, since that's closest to me, but as I said, if anyone has any more suggestions for South Bay or mid-lower Peninsula, I'll check those out as well. I'm looking to get as many tastes of this chinese steamed egg so I know what a "good" version is before I start making it myself. And I'll post a round up of all the steamed egg dishes afterwards!
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