Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
Quick & Easy Chinese (15 page)
Chinese restaurants in the West often feature egg
foo yong
as a plump, golden-brown pancake, studded with shrimp, barbecued pork, and bean sprouts, and served with a satiny brown sauce. This is my weeknight version, a vegetarian recipe to which you could add about ¾ cup chopped cooked shrimp, ham, crabmeat for a more substantial dish. I use smaller amounts of oil than the classic dish calls for and cook it in varying shapes. I use a wok or small skillet to cook three small omelet cakes, which I place overlapping each other on a small platter, or fold in half and fan out as three plump omelets. If I’m in a hurry, I use a large skillet to make one big flat omelet. We love this with hot sauce or salsa, but I’ve included a brown sauce recipe for a classic finishing touch.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
¾ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup shredded napa cabbage
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
3 eggs, beaten well 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
Brown Sauce
(optional; page 176)
SERVES
4
Heat a wok or a medium skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and toss until fragrant.
Add the carrots and toss until they are shiny and beginning to soften, about 15 seconds. Add the napa cabbage and green onion and toss well.
Add the cilantro, soy sauce, and sugar, and cook, tossing often, until the cabbage and carrots are just tender, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and spread it out into a single layer to help it cool quickly.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, sesame oil, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to combine everything well. When the carrot mixture is no longer steaming, add it to the eggs and stir quickly to prevent the eggs from sticking and mix everything well. (If using the Brown Sauce, make it now and keep warm until serving time.)
To cook the omelets, use either a wok or a small, deep skillet, so that you can make plump pancakes. (You could also cook as one big flat pancake then fold over for serving.) Heat the wok or skillet over high heat. Add about one-third of the remaining oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add about one-third of the egg-vegetable mixture and tilt the pan to spread it out a little. Fold down the edges gently as they set, and keep swiriling to encourage uncooked egg to contact the pan. Shake the pan to loosen the omelet.
When the omelet is mostly set, flip it over to cook the other side. Cook until the omelet is set in the center, and then transfer to a serving plate. Repeat to make two more omelets, and serve hot or warm with Brown Sauce on the side, if using.
We order this simple, tasty omelet first thing whenever we can find it in Chinese restaurants. It may not be on the menu, but if someone in the kitchen hails from Taiwan and loves country cooking, you may be able to enjoy it that very night. It’s easy to make, the only small challenge being to lay in a supply of
sah poh
, or pickled white radish, a sweet-and-salty preserved vegetable enjoyed throughout Asia. Serve this along with
Meatball Soup with Spinach
(page 37) and rice, or as a vegetarian main course with
Everyday Green Beans
(page 119) and rice or noodles.
½ cup finely chopped Chinese-style pickled radish (
sah poh
)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 eggs
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup chopped green onion
SERVES
4
TO
6
NOTE
This omelet is often made with lots of oil, which causes it to puffup and turn a handsome golden brown. Look for the pickled white radish, known in Taiwanese as sah poh, in cellophane packages in Asian markets or via mail order (see page 186). Transfer it to a jar to store at room temperature after opening it
.
Put the chopped pickled radish in a medium bowl and add warm water to cover it. Let stand 10 minutes, and then drain well.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and toss well until it releases its fragrance, about 15 seconds.
Add the drained pickled radish, and cook, tossing often, until the radish is heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool a little.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sesame oil, salt, and sugar. Use a fork or a whisk to mix everything together evenly and well. Stir in the green onion and the pickled radish mixture, including any liquid. Place by the stove, along with a slotted spoon or spatula for straining the egg.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When a bit of egg blossoms at once, add about two-thirds of the egg mixture, pouring slowly and using the slotted spoon or spatula to keep most of the pickled radish mixture in the bowl while allowing egg to flow into the hot pan.
Let the egg bloom and begin to cook in the hot oil. As soon as the outer edges are puffy and set, lift them up in places to allow most of the eggs to run out into contact with the hot pan. Shake the pan and lift the edges of the eggs to ensure that the omelet is browning nicely but not sticking or burning.
Add the remaining egg to the pan, pouring it on top of the omelet. Carefully flip the omelet over, cooking the other side for about 1 minute more. When the second side is set and nicely browned, transfer to a serving plate and serve hot or warm.