← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 270 ml warm water (or 1½ times the volume of the eggs)
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 Spring onion, thinly sliced

Method

1. Beat the eggs gently with the salt, without making too many bubbles. Stir in the warm water.
2. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a shallow heatproof bowl. Pop any bubbles on the surface with a cocktail stick, then cover the bowl with a plate or foil.
3. Bring the water in a steamer to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Steam the custard for 10–12 min, until it is just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
4. Drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil, scatter with spring onion and serve warm with rice.

Tips

• Gentle heat and a covered bowl are the secret to a mirror-smooth top; fierce steam makes it honeycombed.
• Use tamari instead of soy sauce for a gluten-free version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Taste of Asian Food